A Sixth Lord? Knicks, Quickley Bust Boston Sans Brunson, Rise For 9th Straight Win
No Jalen Brunson? No problem for the New York Knicks, at least on Sunday night at TD Garden.
The premier point guard's medically-induced absence failed to bring about an end to the Knicks' winning ways, as they took home a 131-129 decision that required two extra periods from the Boston Celtics for their ninth consecutive victory. Another thriller awaited the Knicks in Beantown after their buzzer-beating antics in South Beach, as they earned their first double-overtime victory since October 2021, which also came against the Celtics.
In addition to their longest winning streak since the final stages of the 2020-21 campaign, the Knicks (39-27) secured their first victory in a full four-game set against Boston in nine years.
Thrown into the starting lineup with Brunson out, Immanuel Quickley took full advantage with a career-best 38 points, playing every minute after halftime (55 in total) and pacing the Knicks for victory by scoring the first seven New York points of the sixth and final period. Though no last-second tally was necessary this time, Julius Randle had 31 while RJ Barrett's 29-point double-double saw him haul in a season-best 11 rebounds.
It was almost appropriate that a game that refused to end featured multiple false finales. What began as a back-and-forth contest (with the Knicks keeping pace with a united 24-point effort from Barrett and Randle in the opening frame) seemed destined to become a Boston breakaway as the Celtics (45-20) concluded the first half on an 11-0 run before opening the third on a triple when made it a 10-point lead. They maintained a steady advantage throughout the rest of the frame before the Knicks used the final 80 seconds to turn an eight-point deficit into a one-point lead. Quickley and Randle accounted for all nine points and the latter experienced deja vu with a buzzer-beating triple to create the slim lead.
That third period run gave birth to what became a 21-2 advantage, putting the Knicks up by 11. Even as Boston erased it, the Knicks' seven-point lead with 1:25 remaining in regulation seemed healthy enough but triples from Al Horford, Marcus Smart, and Jayson Tatum forced an extra period. Tatum, booted from the teams' last meeting at Madison Square Garden due to technical fouls, forced an and-one out of Quentin Grimes to tie the game before Jaylen Brown prevented further Randle heroics with a steal that would've become a fastbreak winner had time not expired.
Each side earned eight each in the first overtime, with Quickley's equalizer with 13 seconds to go negating Horford's go-ahead triple. The final frame allowed Quickley to leave one last impression, giving the Knicks an advantage that proved sustainable. Boston was able to force one last opportunity for a win or a third overtime but a would-be victorious heave from Horford fell short and into the hands of Mitchell Robinson. Time expired for Robinson to add to his own 13-point, 14-rebound double-double but the Knicks escaped with another big win.
With Sunday serving as anything but a day of rest, Quickley became the first Knick to play 55 minutes in a single game since Carmelo Anthony did so in December 2013.
The Knicks return to action on Tuesday when they take on the Charlotte Hornets at home (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG), their final home game before a four-game Western Conference road trip begins. No New York team has won 10 consecutive games since the aforementioned 2012-13 season when that aforementioned group took 13 in a row.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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