Revenge was a dish best served green for the Boston Celtics against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Dec. 2, 2025: Final
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Boston took a landmark meeting in the lasting rivalry, earning a 123-117 decision over the Knicks at TD Garden. It was the 500th meeting between the eternal adversaries, who became the first couple in NBA history to reach that landmark.
The Celtics earned a quantum of revenge for their defeat in the conference semifinal round of last year’s playoffs thanks to 40 points from Jaylen Brown and 20 from Derrick White. Brown’s output was the best any individual player has earned against the Knicks this season.
Boston’s win also ended a four-game winning streak for the Knicks despite the valiant efforts of Mikal Bridges (35 points, 12-of-17 from the field) and Karl-Anthony Towns (29 points, 12-of-19), who delayed their doom with dominant second-half showings that made up for a tepid performance from Jalen Brunson (6-of-21, 11 assists).
Visiting Boston for the first time since taking two-of-three en route to their first conference finals showing in 25 years, the Knicks (13-7) seemed to pick up where they left off.
A trio of triples from Josh Hart and a couple more from Miles McBride—all on as many attempts—allowed the Knicks to build a double-figure lead by the end of the first dozen. Another three from Towns, off a feed from McBride, put New York up 14 in the opening minute of the second period.
From there, however, Boston (12-9) flipped its script, taking over with a sterling second quarter not unlike the way the Knicks took over in the same frame when the teams did battle in Manhattan in October. Over the final 10-plus minutes, the Celtics outscored New York 33-13, most of their tallies coming from the hands of Brown, who 18 in a period where Boston shot over 71%.
A mostly-narrowed third ended with a 12-0 run for the Celtics, seemingly placing permanent momentum on their side. But, recalling his heroics in Beantown from the victorious conference semifinal openers, Bridges’ sharpshooting kept the Knicks afloat, as did crucial interior work from Towns, who countered a dangerous green paint attack with a few three-point plays that ate into the Celtic lead.
This time around, though, the Celtics hung on to their advantages despite seeing the gap shrink to as little as a possession. Boston pulled in four offensive rebounds over the last dozen, all but landing in the hands of Jordan Walsh.
Lost in the Boston euphoria was the dominant duo of Bridges and Towns, who scored 45 of the Knicks’ 65 second-half points. The loss dropped the Knicks to 3-6 on the road this season, their worst opening nine-game stretch away from Madison Square Garden since 2019-20.
Having split the first of four meetings, New York and Boston meet again on Feb. 8, Super Bowl Sunday, at TD Garden. In the meantime, the Knicks immediately return to action on Wednesday night as they’ll open a three-game homestand in Manhattan against the Charlotte Hornets (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
