Jayson Tatum, Boston Bust Knicks Yet Again

As St. John's University took down the University of Connecticut at Madison Square Garden as part of NCAA men's college basketball action, the New York Knicks couldn't duplicate the feat of neutralizing a hardwood defending champion.

Jayson Tatum fell one assist short of a triple-double for the Boston Celtics, who once against dealt a swift lesson to the New York Knicks in the form of a 118-105 triumph at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon. Tatum put up a team-best 25 points and 10 rebounds in the latest victory over the Knicks, their third in as many meetings so far this season. Derrick White earned 19 points primarily through a team-best five three-pointers, part of a 17-triple output for Sunday's hosts.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 18 rebounds despite an injury scare that saw him briefly retreat to the New York locker before returning over the course of the fourth period. Towns was held scoreless in the opening period, one that saw Boston immediately build a 19-point lead before the first dozen let out, one that proved eternal after the Knicks had a brief 3-2 advantage.

Jalen Brunson scored 22 while Josh Hart had a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double after a two-game absence due to knee soreness.

Even with Hart back on the floor, was deja vu in the worst way for the Knicks, who dropped yet another game against one of the three teams ahead of them on the overall NBA leaderboard. They previously clobbered by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday and fell behind by as much as 27 before making things somewhat respectable.

After shrinking the gap to 16 at the onset of the third, the Knicks fell behind by their largest deficit thanks to a 13-2 Boston run that took just over two minutes to complete. From there, however, the Knicks put forth their most furious rally of the afternoon: over the final 8:03 of the third, New York outscored Boston 32-12, one consisting entirely of points gathered by Brunson, Hart, and Towns.

Despite the rally, which saw them shrink the gap to as little as four, the Knicks (37-20) are now 0-7 against the Association's finest from Boston, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City. The Knicks have also lost consecutive games for the first time since a three-game drought between Jan. 3 and 6.

Boston sealed the Knicks fate with another speedy run, the takeover firmly established with former franchise face Kristaps Porzingis' alley-oop double from White. Towns limped to the bench during the ensuing timeout and briefly fled to the visitors' locker room but did come back to finish the game. By the time he returned, however, the Celtics (41-16) boosted the lead back up to double-figures and never looked back en route to their fifth consecutive win.

One more meeting between New York and Boston is slated to be staged on April 8 in Manhattan. In the meantime, the Knicks get a couple of days off before facing another divisional foe, as they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).

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