Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Knicks: Boston Sets Franchise Record for Threes and Saves Its Best Quarter for Final Frame
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Jaylen Brown generated a game-high 30 points, Jayson Tatum provided 26, Sam Hauser delivered a career-high 17, and the Celtics were at their best in the fourth quarter, keeping the Knicks at arm's length as they closed out a 133-118 win.
As the score suggests, there wasn't much defense demonstrated throughout this game. And while New York had a more diverse scoring profile, producing 64 points in the paint and 15 at the free-throw line, Boston drilling a franchise record 27 threes on 52.9 percent shooting, the most by a team in any game this season, paved the way to a second-straight victory.
Now, for a deep dive into Saturday night's Celtics' win at the World's Most Famous Arena.
Celtics Come Out on Fire from Long Range
With Al Horford not playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Joe Mazzulla inserted Blake Griffin into the starting lineup.
Griffin won the opening tip, leading to a Jaylen Brown three, setting the tone for Boston drilling four of its first five long-range attempts, building a 15-5 lead in the early going.
But the Knicks responded with a 7-0 run in less than a minute, then tied the game at 15 on a Julius Randle three.
A drive-and-kick from Marcus Smart to Jaylen Brown produced a three that ended a 3:30 stretch without a point, putting the Celtics ahead 18-15.
After an earlier three rattled in and out, Sam Hauser gathered a feed from Malcolm Brogdon after the latter drove into the paint, then swished a three from the right wing.
Hauser made it two in a row when Grant Williams stripped the ball from RJ Barrett, and it turned into a corner three for Hauser at the other end. That gave Boston a 30-24 advantage in the frame's final minute.
The quarter ended with Williams continuing to showcase his improved ability off the dribble, bulldozing his way to a top-of-the-key jump shot from 19 feet.
But Evan Fournier, who killed the Celtics in multiple matchups last season, buried a difficult three after picking up his dribble, bringing the score to 32-29 in Boston's favor at the end of the opening period.
Tatum and Brown led the Celtics with eight points each after one, while Julius Randle had a game-high 11.
Boston shot 50 percent from the field, including 8/15 (53.3) from beyond the arc. An area needing improvement is the Celtics getting outscored 14 to four in the paint.
Celtics Continue to Shoot Well in Second Quarter, But Knicks' Offense More Well-Rounded
At the 10:51 mark, Grant Williams generated another basket off the bounce, shooting the gap and finishing with a floater from nine feet out.
Hauser stayed hot from long range, as less than a minute later, on a player where Tatum was looking to get him the ball the entire time, the latter delivered a cross-court skip pass, setting up Hauser for a corner three.
That shot brought Hauser to 3/4 from beyond the arc, accounting for all nine of his points. It also extended Boston's advantage to 41-29.
Hauser continues carving out a spot in the Celtics' rotation.
And with 7:40 remaining, Hauser drilled another corner three, this time from the right side off a dish from Brogdon, giving him a career-high 14 points. It also gave Boston a 53-39 lead.
But shortly after that, the law firm of Barrett, Brunson, and Randle staged a 14-2 Knicks run in 3:11, producing points from all three levels of the floor, plus earning trips to the free-throw line.
After a Barrett jam off a pass from Brunson cut the Celtics' lead to 59-58, Jaylen Brown cashed in on a three from the top of the key, providing a needed basket for a sputtering offense. It also gave Brown 18 points on 4/7 shooting.
The first half ended with back-to-back threes by Barrett, and New York's not boxing out Derrick White opened the door for him to crash the offensive glass for a putback layup to give the visitors a 67-66 advantage at the break.
At the end of two, Brown led all scorers with 21 points on 7/12 shooting, including converting on 5/9 threes.
Tatum had eight, and Brogdon, who's consistently getting into the paint gives this offense a needed boost, generated 14 off the bench.
Randle and Barrett led the Knicks with 18 points each, and Brunson provided ten, pairing it with seven assists.
Both teams shot over 50 percent in the first half. The Celtics knocked down 13/27 threes (48.1 percent), while New York drilled 9/17 long-range attempts (52.9 percent).
But even though Boston had the lead, the Knicks displayed a more well-rounded approach offensively, not exclusively relying on threes. New York generated 30 points in the paint to the Celtics' 18. They also took ten free throws, capitalizing on nine of them.
For the Second-Straight Quarter, Both Teams Score 30+ Points
At the 9:34 mark, Tatum swatted a Barrett layup attempt, leading to Griffin drilling a three from the left corner to put Boston ahead 75-72.
But the Celtics' lack of resistance defensively resulted in Brunson finding his rhythm as a scorer, exemplified by him getting into the paint off the dribble, then swishing a fadeaway jumper to trim the gap to 85-80 with 6:46 to play in the frame. It also gave Brunson 20 points.
With 6:11 to go, Brogdon stayed glued to Brunson, forcing a miss at the rim, and when Isaiah Hartenstein went up with the putback, Tatum swatted his shot from behind as Brown also elevated to contest. Tatum then tracked down the loose ball, spiking it off Cam Reddish to end the possession.
But with 4:13 remaining, in a fun stretch more accurately reflecting the lack of defensive resistance in this game, Hauser buried another three, Randle got to the basket for a floater, and Brown took a feed from Marcus Smart and drilled a three from the right wing. That was Smart's 11th and final assist, representing a game-high and the most by a Celtic this season.
Hartenstein countered that with a dunk narrowing the gap to 95-92 with 3:22 left.
The quarter ended with free throws by Randle and a three off the dribble from Brogdon, giving Boston a 101-96 advantage entering the final frame.
Celtics at Their Best in the Fourth Quarter
It took nearly two minutes for the first points of the fourth quarter to arrive. They did so on a Tatum jumper from the elbow extended on the right side of the floor.
At the 7:43 mark, after a Brogdon layup didn't go down, Noah Vonleh, earning fourth quarter minutes, cleaned up the miss, giving the Celtics a 108-101 lead.
In a play exemplifying Boston's lack of resistance defensively, out of a timeout, on New York's ensuing possession, Obi Toppin got to the rim for a layup without any opposition.
Shortly after that, on the heels of a finger roll from Toppin, Vonleh cashed in on a corner three off a dish from Tatum, giving the latter five assists and the Celtics a 114-105 advantage with 6:36 remaining.
At the 4:51 mark, Hartenstein found a cutting Randle for a layup, plus a foul on Vonleh. At the free-throw line, Randle turned it into an old-school three--point play, extending a 7-0 Knicks run. It also brought Williams in for Vonleh.
Tatum ended that burst by New York, burying a three from the left wing after Brown curled off a staggered screen and had an open look from above the break, drawing Tatum's defender, Barrett.
Brown then elevated like he was about to launch a three no one would blame him for taking, but he swung the ball to Tatum for a triple that extended Boston's lead to 119-112 with 4:35 on the clock.
Tatum uncorked a beautiful step-back three off the dribble a minute later, putting the Celtics ahead 124-114.
And after a Brunson mid-range jumper, Tatum continued closing out the Knicks, attacking off the dribble from the left wing and finishing off the glass with his right hand. That gave Tatum 13 points in the quarter and provided Boston a 126-116 cushion with 2:23 to go.
That set the Celtics up for a 133-118 win capped by a Grant Williams corner three.
The fourth frame was Boston's best of the night, holding the Knicks to 22 points while producing 32 and keeping New York at arm's length down the stretch.
Up Next
The Celtics travel to Memphis for a Monday night matchup against the Grizzlies. The game tips off at 9:00 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
It Sounds Like Jayson Tatum is Loving What he's Seeing from Malcolm Brogdon
The Top 5 Plays from Friday's Celtics-Bulls Game
Eager to Skip Ahead to the Playoffs, the Celtics Must Not Squander the Time Leading Up to It
Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown Strongly Weigh In On Ime Udoka-Nets Rumors
Jayson Tatum Reflects On How Celtics' NBA Finals Run Has Changed Perspective
