The Boston Celtics (41-16) knocked off the New York Knicks (37-20) 118-105 on Sunday, February 23, led by Boston’s usual suspects.
Jayson Tatum led the team with 25 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out nine assists, narrowly missing a triple-double.
Jaylen Brown contributed 24 points and eight rebounds, and Derrick White tallied 19 points on an impressive five-for-six shooting from beyond the arc. Like Tatum, White also was within punching distance of a triple-double, recording nine rebounds and seven assists.
All five Celtics starters finished the game in double-figure scoring, with Kristaps Porzingis dropping 15 and Jrue Holiday scoring 14.
The Knicks' big three looked to counter, but despite three 20+ point performances, it was not enough to knock down the reigning NBA champions at home.
Karl-Anthiny Towns led the Knicks with 24 points and grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds and an absolute monster stat from the first-year Knick.
Jalen Brunson (22) and Josh Hart (20) joined Towns, each with 20+ points, and the three combined for 66 of New York’s 105 points. 15 of Brunson’s 22 points came in the third quarter, in an impressive effort contributing to New York’s 39-point performance in the third.
Hart returned from injury and, like Tatum, was one assist away from a triple-double, tallying 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Mikal Bridges (14) and OG Anunoby (10) finished double-digit scoring.
The Celtics will travel to Toronto to play the Raptors on Tuesday, February 25, while New York will look to bounce back when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, February 26.
