Josh Hart Erupts for 26 As New York Knicks Suffocate Boston Celtics In The Fourth To Seal 112-106 Victory
The New York Knicks began their three-game homestand in Madison Square Garden last night and hosted their longtime Atlantic Division rivals, the Boston Celtics. It had been the first time in 11 months since Celtics’ superstar Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon.
Ironically, it happened in that very same arena, so emotions were high for both teams. Fighting for the number two seed in the Eastern Conference, these two teams battled hard, and the end result was nothing short of entertaining.
Knicks And Celtics Trade Buckets In The First Quarter
The Knicks took the first bucket of the night with a fastbreak score by Mikal Bridges off a dish from Josh Hart. Bridges scored again off a corner three-pointer and a back-down turnaround lay-in bucket that put the Knicks up 7-0.
He finished the game with 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 6 assists. A steal by Tatum from Hart put the Celtics on the board 7-2 with a little under 10 minutes remaining in the quarter. Jordan Walsh was able to knock down a corner three-pointer on the Celtics’ next possession.
Coming off an offensive rebound from Neemias Queta, who passed the rock to Sam Hauser, who saw Walsh open in the corner, tying the game at 7. Boston was able to take a 17-11 lead with a little under five minutes to go in the quarter, then Jalen Brunson took his defender, Baylor Scheierman (20 pts, 4 rebs), to the cup for an easy lay-in.
However, Tatum looked on from the bench. The Celtics finished the quarter strong with some key shots made by Payton Pritchard. Jaylen Brown was ruled out due to left achilles tendinitis, so Pritchard started in his place.
With under a minute to go in the quarter, Pritchard scored on a contested layup and an open three-pointer, giving the Celtics a 29-23 lead over the Knicks. With less than eight seconds left in the quarter, Brunson came down and scored a three-pointer a little before the buzzer, closing the gap and bringing New York to within three, 29-26, to end the first quarter.
The Knicks Come Away With The Lead In The First Half
The Knicks opened the second quarter with their go‑to big‑man pick‑and‑roll, as Clarkson fed Robinson for an alley‑oop. Clarkson (8 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast) then found OG Anunoby for a corner three, putting New York back in front 31–29.
With just over eight minutes left in the half, Robinson jumped a handoff at midcourt and stole the ball from Vucevic. He pushed it ahead to McBride, who hit Clarkson under the rim for an easy layup, extending the Knicks’ lead to 35–31 and forcing a Mazzulla timeout.
Robinson contributed 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals to the New York victory. With a little over five minutes remaining in the half, Pritchard made a strong drive to the cup and grabbed an offensive rebound that turned into a made three-pointer from Hauser, giving Boston the lead again, 40-38.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Brunson responded on the other end with a pick-and-roll that ended with a mid-range made jumper from Towns. He finished the game with another double-double, 16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
The Knicks took a 57-53 halftime lead. Despite nearly reaching a double-double by halftime, Tatum struggled with his shot in the first half, going 2-of-11 and failing to record a field goal in the second quarter. He finished the game with nearly a triple-double, recording 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Pritchard Helps The Celtics Battle To Get Back In Front
The Celtics came out of the locker room swinging to begin the third quarter as Tatum lobbed a pass to Walsh for an acrobatic finish at the rim. Bridges found Hart on the other end for an open three-pointer. Hart had a more productive outing, contributing 26 points and 3 assists to the Knicks’ win.
Anunoby continued to hit open threes as he contributed 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. A little under the seven-minute mark in the third quarter, New York was able to push their lead to 13 with the continued pick-and-roll duo of Brunson and Towns, making the score 72-59.
But Tatum continued to keep the Celtics right on their heels, scoring three-pointers and turning around mid-range jump shots, along with some made three-pointers from Pritchard. Pritchard added 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists to Boston’s effort.
With a little over four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Celtics were able to cut the Knicks’ lead by going on a 10-0 run, bringing them to within three. To stop the bleeding, Brunson came down and found Robinson on an alley-oop dish, then took Scheierman to the cup again on the next possession for an easy layup.
The Celtics answered with three straight threes from Scheierman, Vucevic, and Pritchard to jump ahead 78–76. In the final minute of the third, Pritchard found Scheierman cross‑court for another open triple, making it 80–79. Brunson scored to close the quarter, but Boston still carried an 83–81 lead into the fourth.
The Brunson And Towns Duo Takes Over
Jordan Clarkson tied the game at 83 to begin the fourth quarter off a slash to the basket and a floater finish off a dish from McBride. Another Scheierman three-pointer put the Celtics back on top, followed by an open three-pointer from Tatum, 89-83.
Tatum continued to go to work, keeping his Celtics ahead mid-way through the quarter, but strong play from Clarkson kept the Knicks close. A Hart made three-pointer brought the Knicks to within two, followed by a Tatum turnover that Bridges was able to get to Hart for an easy layup, tying the game at 92 with a little over six minutes remaining in the game.
Derrick White (8 pts, 3 rebounds, 1 assist), who had a quiet night and was listed as questionable, made a pull-up midrange jumper to put Boston back in the lead. To which New York responded on the other end with a Brunson dish to Hart, who was cutting to the basket for a layup, tying the game at 94.
On the other end, Pritchard found an open Queta under the basket, who got the soft bounce and put the Celtics back in the lead. Queta finished the game with a double-double: 10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
The Knicks responded with another Brunson and Towns pick-and-roll, tying the game again. Scheierman got a mid-range jumper to drop, and Brunson and Towns responded again, this time with a made three-pointer from Towns at the top of the key, putting New York back in front, 99-98.
The Final Scramble For The Win
With over two minutes remaining in the game, and the score tied at 101, Brunson took on the big man Queta one-on-one and got a mid-range jumper to fall. On the next possession, Scheierman made another three-pointer, putting the Celtics up by one, 104-103.
Brunson then finds Hart wide open under the basket on the next possession, putting the Knicks back in front, 105-104. Brunson also recorded another double-double with 25 points, 10 assists, and 1 rebound.
With a little over a minute remaining, Tatum made an attempt to get to the cup but was denied by Towns, who rebounded the ball and got it to Brunson. With 45 seconds left on the clock, and the score 106-104, Hart sank a three to put the Knicks up 109-104.
The Celtics made an attempt to stay alive when Pritchard missed a three-point attempt, and Vucevic made the put-back, making the score 109-106, but they would not score again, and New York came away with the victory.
FAQ Section
Q: What was the final score?
A: 112-106
Q: Who was the MVP of the game?
A: Josh Hart
Q: What was the turning point?
A: After trailing 104-103 with two minutes remaining, the Knicks closed the game on a 9-2 run sparked by a Hart layup and a Brunson free throw to reclaim the lead.
What’s Next For Each Team?
The Knicks (52–28) have two games left and have climbed to third in the East, still chasing the No. 2 seed. Their 3–1 season‑series win gives them the tiebreaker over Boston, meaning they could pass the Celtics if they win out and Boston loses out.
They host the Raptors tonight. The Celtics still control the No. 2 seed with a two‑game edge on New York and can clinch it with one more win or one Knicks loss. They face the Pelicans tonight in Boston.
