The New York Knicks ensured that at least one New England team would go without a win on Super Bowl Sunday.
New York recovered from its downer in Detroit in style, besting the Boston Celtics by a 111-89 final on Sunday afternoon in Beantown. It was an emphatic return to the win column for the Knicks (34-19), who have won nine of the last ten and secured at least a tie in the four-game set with their eternal rivals and the temporary tiebreaker that comes with it.
Jalen Brunson immediately got to work making amends for a brutal outing in Motown, making contributions to 23 of the Knicks’ first 33 points as they built a first-quarter lead they would never relinquish. It was the start of a 31-point day for Brunson (12-of-21) while Josh Hart added 19.
While OG Anunoby continued to sit out due to injury, Karl-Anthony Towns returned to post an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double while partly adorned in Amar’e Stoudemire-style goggles following his orbital encounter on Wednesday against Denver. Newcomer Jose Alvarado immediately made his presence felt with 12 points and two steals.
Alvarado’s arrival on a day where Boston (34-19) endured its worst scoring effort of the season was far from a coincidence, as the trade deadline acquisition made his presence felt immediately with his trademark brand of hounding defense. Done in by depth scoring on Friday in Detroit, Alvarado and Mohamed Diawara both reached double-figures off the bench, the rookie hitting all four of his tries from the field.
Even without the offensive prowess, the Knicks were in good standing thanks to a defensive effort that saw the C’s hit only 7-of-41 tries from the field, with regular shooters Baylor Scheierman and Derrick White going a combined 5-of-16.
Scheierman at least did something of his part with 13 points and five assists, but Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic were 1-of-6 off the bench. Unlike Alvarado, fellow deadline mover Vucevic was unable to get a groove going after he was hounded by early foul trouble.
The Knicks’ shutdown defense rendered one of Boston’s tired-and-true strategies, namely the intentional fouling of Mitchell Robinson, was rendered irrelevant. New York kept a consistent lead through and saved its best for the fourth quarter.
Brunson restored his clutch reputation with a perfect final output that allowed the Knicks to empty their bench as Celtics fans fled for their Super Bowl parties.
The only Bostonian in any sort of groove was Jaylen Brown, who scored 26. The Knicks’ dominant nature was emphasized in the third when Brown scored all but two of the Celtics’ already-measly 15 tallies. New York’s win also ended Boston’s five-game victory streak, the longest among current Eastern playoff teams.
One more New York-Boston bout is scheduled for April 9 at Madison Square Garden. In the meantime, the Knicks will play their penultimate game before the All-Star break on Tuesday when they host the Indiana Pacers (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
