It has been 122 days since the Celtics faced the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on opening night, and for the Knicks a lot has changed. Their roster depth has vastly improved with the additions of OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Alec Burks at the trade deadline. Although those acquisitions made little difference to the result, as Boston ran out 116-102 victors in New York. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics superbly, scoring 30 points and grabbing eight rebounds to claim an eighth straight road win for Boston.
Once again, the Celtics were quickest out of the blocks, as they jumped out to an early four-point lead. Boston’s starting 5 got in to their offensive rhythm quickly once again scoring 30 points in the opening period, they currently hold a 14.3 net rating and a 122.5 offensive rating, which has allowed them to gain the NBA’s best record (45-12). It was mainly Brown that carried the majority of Boston’s early offensive load. He added 10 points in the first quarter and went on to finish the game with 30 points and a joint game high +15 plus-minus.
Boston’s offense continued to display its endless capabilities, adding a consecutive 30-point quarter. However, they were unable to create a larger lead due to the Knicks dominance on the offensive glass, as once again Boston lost the battle of the glass, 15-11. Hartenstein and Achiuwa dealt the most damage claiming nine out of the fifteen offensive boards.
Traditionally the 3rd quarter has been an area of downfall for the Celtics, however as of late it has been quite the opposite and tonight went the same way. Boston continued to expose New York’s poor defence without Julius Randle and Anunoby on the perimeter. Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum exposed the mismatches and scored at will. The second half also saw a marked improvement in the Celtics’ defence, as they restricted everybody aside from Jalen Brunson, who finished with 34 points and 9 assists.
The Celtics took a 13-point lead into the final period and never looked back, they held New York to just 18 points in the quarter and were able to maintain their strong advantage throughout. Boston’s suffocating defence allowed them to claim the comfortable 116-102 win in MSG.
Post game Brown spoke about Boston’s advantage atop of the Eastern Conference via EPSN: “When it comes down to the playoffs, none of that stuff really matters” … “I feel like it is going to be about matchups, it’s going to be about playing hard. Obviously home court (advantage) matters. So that is key. You get into the thick of it, you’ve got to win basketball games”. The Celtics will return home to Boston to face a regular playoff rival - the Philadelphia 76ers – looking to win a 9th game in a row.
By Will C
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