At one point, fans at Madison Square Garden and home were impressed. Their team executed perfectly down the stretch.
That was until the best player on the defending champion Boston Celtics graciously took steps to a game-tying three. Despite admirable fight and solid crunchtime execution, the New York Knicks fell to the Boston Celtics in overtime Tuesday night, 119-117.
April 9 (OT): Final
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Jayson Tatum breaks hearts
The Knicks went up three points with 11.9 seconds to go in the game, courtesy of a nice off-the-ball cut and finish by Josh Hart. Kudos to Jalen Brunson for his vision in a key iso situation.
Unfortunately for the home crowd, Celtics star Jayson Tatum buried a step-back (x4) three that tied the game with just 2.9 seconds remaining.
Granted, Tatum took a solid four steps before breaking the Mecca’s figurative heart, but the shot was nonetheless clutch, sending the thriller into overtime, where the defending champs ultimately took home.
Tatum finished with 32 points on 50% shooting from the floor (11-22). He also drained 4 threes on 11 attempts while chipping in with 5 assists and 7 rebounds.
The real difference for the road squad turned out to be the former Knickerbocker.
Porzingis torches his old squad
The Knicks’ former great hope, the unicorn Kristaps Porzingis, enjoyed his time on the MSG hardwood.
Porzingis buried 8 threes on just 13 attempts and finished with a team-high 34 points. Time and again—particularly in the first half—KP kept his team in the game with his torrid shooting.
Porzingis also hit what turned out to be the (unofficial) game-winning three in overtime:
KAT leads the way
Karl-Anthony Towns poured in a team-high 34 points and ripped down a team-leading 14 boards. The man the kids call KAT was especially up for the game in the first half, continually taking advantage of advantageous matchups.
Towns was extremely efficient from the floor, shooting 14-21, including 1 of 3 from downtown.
Jalen Brunson, who is still attempting to return to full strength after the ankle injury, added his own double-double. He compiled 27 points (10-21 from the floor, 5-12 from three-point land) and 10 assists.
The captain was even clutch in certain offensive moments down the stretch:
The problem came on the defensive end of the floor, as a Brunson on-ball gamble in a pick-and-roll situation helped lead to the Porzingis go-ahead three.
Encouraging late-game execution
Infuriatingly enough, the Knicks executed solidly down the stretch against one of the best teams in the NBA. Yet, they still found a way to lose at Madison Square Garden to another contender.
From Brunson’s clutch offensive moments to KAT’s offensive awareness, there was a lot to like. Mikal Bridges even did his thing in the midrange.
Speaking of unsung heroes, OG Anunoby did a tremendous job on Tatum and Jaylen Brown throughout the entire game, especially in the back half of the fourth quarter when head coach Tom Thibodeau put him back into action.
The intensity New York showed down the stretch was noticeable on the defensive end of the floor. It was also eye-opening when hitting the glass, as an Anunoby offensive rebound and putback showcased:
Next for the Knicks, playoff picture
The 50-29 Knicks remain two games ahead of the No. 4-seeded Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks are now two games clear of the Detroit Pistons in the standings.
Unless the Knicks-Pacers or Bucks-Pistons switch in the standings, New York will play Detroit in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Indiana’s only shot to wrestle the three-seed away is if it wins its last three games while the Knicks lose their last three.
Then again, would they want that to happen? With Damian Lillard still sidelined, many would argue the Bucks are the more appealing Round 1 opponent (though there’s optimism he’ll return for the playoffs).
The New York Knicks take Wednesday off before taking on those very Pistons in Detroit on Thursday night (7:00 p.m. ET). A Friday night home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and a Sunday matinee in Brooklyn against the Nets cap the regular campaign.
