Celtics defeat Knicks 127-102 to force Game 6

    Written by: Miles Jordan •

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    Jaylen Brown [7] drives to the basket past Jalen Brunson (11).

    With their season on the line and star forward Jayson Tatum sidelined for good, the Celtics leaned on Derrick White, and he delivered in a must-win game.

    White scored 34 points and hit seven 3-pointers to lead Boston to a 127-102 win over the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, keeping the defending champions alive and cutting the series deficit to 3-2.

    “We did what was necessary to do what we needed to do to get it back to New York,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “You don’t get to pick the test that you have, you pick how you respond to them.”

    Boston poured in 22 3-pointers in its first home win of the series and its first game without Tatum, who was ruled out for the remainder of the postseason due to an Achilles injury. White set the tone early with five first-half threes, and the Celtics never looked back.

    “Losing JT is tough,” White said. “But we’ve got a lot of guys that are highly competitive, and we didn’t want the season to end tonight.”

    Jaylen Brown added 26 points and 12 assists. Payton Pritchard had 17 points and five 3s off the bench, while Luke Kornet posted 10 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks in an extended second-half role. Kristaps Porzingis played just 12 minutes as he continued to deal with a viral illness.

    Boston broke the game open with a 23-9 run to close the third quarter and carried a 91-76 lead into the final period. The Celtics stretched their advantage to as many as 28 points down the stretch.

    Josh Hart led New York with 24 points despite needing stitches after taking an elbow to the face. Jalen Brunson added 22 points before fouling out with 7:19 left.

    “They came out with a sense of urgency that we need,” Brunson said.

    The Knicks will try again to close the series Friday night at Madison Square Garden. If the Celtics win, Game 7 will be back in Boston on Monday. The Celtics are aiming to become just the 14th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.

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