Injured Knicks squad drops one at home Saturday night

By Justin Fields

Was it evident New York missed Og Anunoby and Julius Randle as the Celtics took over the Garden in the second game back from All-Star break? Jalen Brunson’s 34 points and nine assists were not enough to stop a Celtics team that shot nearly 57% from the field. The Knicks kept it close all game until their lack of depth showed late in the second half as Boston began to pull away en route to a 116-102 win in MSG.

• C’s Shoot the Lights Out

There’s not much New York could do to contain Boston, as they shot a ridiculous 66.7% from the field and 42.9% from three in the first half. The best part was that it was a group win for the Celtics, as their entire starting five finished in double digits.  

• Limited Minutes for Hartenstein

New York was definitely happy to see their starting center, Isiah Hartenstein, back on the floor after battling a sore Achilles before the All-Star break. The big fella looked to be back to 100% while only playing 24 minutes and putting up six points and seven rebounds. 

• Eight Straight 

Dating back to before the break, the Celtics sealed their eighth straight victory in New York. This has been the second-longest streak in the NBA this year, and they will look to make it nine in a row Tuesday night when they host Philly. 

Turning Point

The game looked promising for New York as they only trailed by four going into halftime, but Boston came out HOT to start the second half, and from there, it was so long for the Knicks. The Celtics ensured the game stayed out of reach as they were firing on all cylinders from the entire team. When Boston’s all-stars (Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown) only combine for 49 points in a 14-point win, you know the C’s were locked in. 

Things I Liked

1. Boston’s depth: Tatum and Brown are the face of the Boston Celtics, but it takes the surrounding players to win a Title. Two players don’t win you a championship, so seeing six figures in double digits with solid minutes is very promising and something I enjoyed seeing. The Celtics will need everyone to contribute until the end.
2. Knicks Promise: Although New York dropped one at home, if I were the Celtics, I would not be complacent with that. The Knicks are without two of their best scorers and defenders in OG Anunoby & Julius Randle. With a fully healthy Knicks team, they will be coming in HOT for that top spot in the Eastern Conference.
3. Jalen Brunson: It doesn’t matter when, where, or how, but Jalen Brunson is scary. Brunson continues to put New York on his back with or without his co-All-Star, Julius Randle. Jalen Brunson is on a level knowone else is at the moment, and if teams can’t find an answer, he’ll drop thirty on any given night.

Things I Didn’t Like

1. Boston’s Lead: With a very unhealthy Knicks squad, the Celtics should have put New York to sleep much earlier. Although the Knicks never really had a lead ever, Boston has the firepower to step on the gas and leave them in the dust, but they didn’t until the fourth quarter.
2. New York’s Ball Movement: The lack of ball movement when the Knicks are down needs to step up. I didn’t like how much they forced shots when there was an opportunity to move the ball around for a better shot.This could’ve been due to the lack of scorers, but they need to figure out how to spread the ball around when down late in games.
3. NY Ball Security: The Knicks turned the ball over 14 times. Fourteen times is ridiculous. I know head coach Tom Thibodeau will preach ball security tomorrow at practice. That’s unacceptable for a team looking to make a playoff push.

That’s What He Said

When head coach of the Boston Celtics, Joe Mazzulla, was asked what his takeaways from the game were, he highlighted none other than Jayson Tatum. “I thought today was a beautiful display of basketball from Jayson,” he said.

“It won’t go into the most valuable category, but his ability to control the game with his pick-and-roll pace, his pick-and-roll passing, his defense. He put himself on (Jalen) Brunson, welcoming 2-on-1s and creating for others was great. My hats off to him for knowing that’s a way for us to win,” Mazzulla added.

Like I mentioned earlier, it’s going to take more than just Tatum & Brown to make another Finals run, so when Tatum is involving his entire team, it’s something Boston fans love to see. 

Cleaning The Glass

• Porzingis continues to dominate his former team
• Every player on the Knicks had a negative +/- 
• Every starter on the Celtics had a positive +/-
• New York & Boston hold the same road record this season at 19-9