Boston Celtics and New York Knicks repeated the duel but in a different setting. This time, the Boston team were local and took advantage of this factor and the different losses that the Knicks presented to take without too much difficulty (99-75) the duel between two direct rivals in the Eastern Conference.
With Evan Forunier injured, the Knicks were left without the Celtics’ executioner to storm the TD Garden. The Celtics did not enter the game quite well and gave up the first quarter, but before reaching the break, those of Ime Udoka had already regained the advantage. In the second half, the Boston team did not make the same mistake and with a great third quarter (32-18) they left the game sentenced and took revenge for the defeat of just two days ago.
Jaylen Brown posted the first triple-double of his career with 22 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. Jayson Tatum accompanied him with 19 points and Josh Richardson added 17 from the bench. Robert Williams, with 12 points and 4 blocks, and Marcus Smart, with 10 points and 4 steals, completed a very complete performance by the entire team.
For the Knicks, RJ Barrett finished with 19 points and Immanuel Quickley added 18. Julius Randle didn’t have his best night and finished with 13 points on 6 of 19 shooting from the field. In addition to Fournier, Tom Thibodeau’s team missed scoring players like Kemba Walker or Derrick Rose.
Change of attitude in the Celtics
After the match, Ime Udoka was satisfied with the makeover her team offered. «Allowing 33 points in the entire second half denotes a great defensive level. We have seen flashes. It’s about being consistent and playing the whole game. We did that tonight, “said the Celtics coach.
Jaylen Brown also addressed the media after the first triple-double of his career.«It is the work of the last weeks. We’ve done a lot of extra work in the video room with the entire coaching staff.», He pointed out. Also, he wanted to make it clear that he and Tatum work well together.“We have played well together for most of our career. The last year has not gone as expected, but adversity will help us grow and improve for the future», He concluded.
(Photo by Maddie Malhotra / Getty Images)
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