Bold statement: Celtics survive a late Knicks push to seal a 123-117 victory in a high-stakes rematch of last season’s East semifinals. And this is where the story gets interesting—Boston steadied the ship just as New York roared back, showing how one star’s best night can tilt a game when the clock thins out.
The Celtics leaned on a season-best 42 points from Jaylen Brown, who punctuated the win with a breakaway dunk in the final seconds. Boston snapped a skid against a deceptively hot Knicks squad and moved to 4-of-5 in their last five, with wins over four of the East’s top six teams.
Derrick White added a clutch 22 points, with seven coming in the final four minutes, staving off a late New York surge. He spearheaded Boston’s decisive stretch after the Knicks trimmed a 15-point deficit to 102-99. Jordan Walsh supplied energy in the fourth, contributing six points and five rebounds as part of Boston’s late push.
New York’s Mikal Bridges delivered 35 points, including 17 in the fourth and an 8-for-12 mark from three-point range on the night. Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 for the Knicks, who had rattled off four consecutive wins prior to this matchup.
Early in the game, New York jumped ahead 17-4 and built a 39-25 lead. Boston answered with a 12-0 run, and Brown’s dunk sparked an emotional shift that helped the Celtics flip the scoreboard. Brown finished with 18 points in the second quarter and 15 in the third, helping Boston extend to an 18-point edge heading into the final period.
After the third, Boston led 102-87 with eight minutes left. Bridges then caught fire, burying a trio of threes and three timely free throws to pull New York within 102-99, but the late momentum stalled when Bridges missed a pivotal three on New York’s next possession that could have cut the deficit to one.
Upcoming games
- Knicks at Hornets on Wednesday night.
- Celtics at Wizards on Thursday night.
AP NBA coverage and additional details available at AP News.
