The New York Knicks fell to the Boston Celtics 116-102. New York had a strong first half, but Boston’s offense was clicking in the second.
The New York Knicks lost to the red-hot Boston Celtics 116-102. Boston’s shotmaking overwhelmed the Knicks’ defense, and New York didn’t have enough offense to keep pace.
The Knicks kept things close early, thanks to another fast start for Jalen Brunson. Boston made a run while Brunson sat, but New York erased that lead before halftime. However, another “third quarter of death” bit the Knicks as Boston was unstoppable in the second half. The Knicks never generated enough offense to make the game competitive after.
Boston is among the few teams that can defend Brunson with single coverage, making life harder for his supporting cast. The Knicks shot poorly from three and nearly doubled the Celtics turnover totals. But the game was competitive enough to wonder what things would look like if OG Anunoby and Julius Randle were healthy.
Let’s look at the performances to understand better how things went South for the Knicks.
The Knicks’ starters can’t slow down the Celtics
Jalen Brunson: 34 PTS (12/25 FG, 4/9 3PT, 6/6 FT), 9 AST, 3 REB, 3 TO in 38 mins
Jalen Brunson saw single coverage for most of the night and capitalized. The Celtics threw elite defenders at him throughout the game, from Jrue Holiday to Derrick White. But Brunson beat all of them off the dribble and often found clever ways to freeze and beat Kristaps Porzingis’ elite rim protection.
Brunson crushed drop coverage from the bigs with pull-up jumpers, occasionally tricking a trailing defender into running into him as he shot. He found open teammates whenever the Celtics managed to get enough bodies in front of him to stop the shot.
But Brunson couldn’t manifest a second option. While players helped in spurts, no one scored consistently enough to exploit Brunson’s outburst. So Jalen Brunson gets a 4.5 for putting up a gem against an elite group of defenders, but it couldn’t change New York’s fortunes.
Donte DiVincenzo: 12 PTS (4/12 FG, 4/8 3PT), 4 REB, 1 BLK in 31 mins
Donte DiVincenzo didn’t get going against Boston until it was too late. His 50% shooting from three is a mirage, as two of his made three-pointers came after the game was out of reach. When scoring mattered, he shot poorly at a distance and missed bunnies at the rim.
I can’t credit the Celtics defense for doing anything special to slow down DiVo. He got his looks in space from three and reached the rim untouched periodically. He just missed shots uncharacteristically.
To make matters worse, the Big Ragu struggled to defend Jaylen Brown. He often played quality defense, only for Brown to shoot over or power through him. DiVincenzo gets a 1 out of 5 for a brutal night with numbers he barely salvaged in extended garbage time.
Josh Hart: 16 PTS (6/10 FG, 2/5 3PT, 2/3 FT), 6 AST, 8 REB, 4 TO in 42 mins
Josh Hart gave Brunson a helping hand more than any other teammate could muster. He hit another pair of threes, and I’m starting to buy his confidence to fire them off when he’s open. I’m confident he’ll shoot those shots, not that he’ll return to his lofty shooting percentages from last year. Hart also got to the rim through transitions and weak-side rushes, powering through defenders who were often much bigger.
The former Blazer missed his double-digit rebounding streak but still put together some impressive sequences on the glass. Boston left plenty of size on the floor, but you’d still catch Hart flying across the floor to snatch a rebound before a green jersey could reach it. To add to his impact, Boston shied away from attacking Hart in isolation, choosing to exploit other matchups.
Josh Hart energized the team just when things felt like they’d slip away. He kept the squad fighting longer than they otherwise would have and provided more than we typically expect offensively. Hart gets a 3 out of 5, though he needs to cut down his turnovers.
Precious Achiuwa: 8 PTS (4/8 FG, 0/2 3PT), 1 AST, 9 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 34 mins
Precious Achiuwa had a rough night despite respectable production. The Celtics used Kristaps Porzingis on Achiuwa, which helped contain his interior scoring and offensive rebounding. He couldn’t pull KP from the basket to make space for teammates either, though he did take a couple of three-pointers, they bricked badly.
Achiuwa’s defense lacked its typical bite. He got out and contested shooters, but players like Jalen Brown and Jayson Tatum were unperturbed. They shot over him, knowing he had to give some space to avoid giving up a blow-by. The Celtics’ five-out approach limited Precious’ efficacy.
That’s not to completely crush Achiuwa. He still put together a decent game, but it didn’t live up to the quality performances he’s recently put together. Precious gets a 2 out of 5 for trying to do too much on offense without doing enough on defense.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 6 PTS (1/1 FG, 4/4 FT), 4 AST, 7 REB, 1 BLK, 2 TO in 24 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein is getting closer to form after his Achilles issues. He returned to working as a quick outlet for ball-handlers in the post. His passing ability helped alleviate some of Brunson’s stress and helped other ball-handlers avoid baseline traps from switching defenders.
But I-Hart’s game lacked bite. The Celtics put Jayson Tatum on him, so you’d expect some bullying in the post. That didn’t happen; Hartenstein settled for face-up passing and virtually never established deep post position. He had an opportunity to wear down Boston’s best player but didn’t have an attack mode.
Hartenstein’s defense also felt muted, but I blame Boston’s five-out offense. Hartenstein couldn’t leave KP or any other Celtics big alone for long. So, his help defense suffered. I-Hart gets a 2 out of 5 for showing flashes of his healthy form but not getting there yet.
New York’s second unit doesn’t get enough from the new guys
Miles McBride: 9 PTS (4/6 FG, 1/2 3PT), 1 AST, 2 REB, 1 TO in 15 mins
I don’t understand how Deuce McBride didn’t get more minutes. He entered the game and quickly knocked down a jumper off the dribble from midrange. He would grab an offensive rebound for a putback, knock down a three, and blow by Jrue Holiday for a dunk before long. Those field goals were scattered amongst three-quarters of action, but I say “before long” because McBride only got fifteen minutes to work with.
Deuce made the most of his touches while sharing the floor with the more Iso-heavy second unit. He also played better on-ball defense than anyone on the team, bar none. The Celtics shot over everyone, but McBride made ball-handlers uncomfortable before they could get to their spots to fire. He’d poke the ball loose or bump them off course, making the Cs work harder for baskets.
This is all to say Tom Thibodeau owed McBride more minutes than he got. It might not have changed the result, but it certainly could have helped some. Deuce receives a 3 out of 5 for outstanding play in limited minutes.
Alec Burks: 7 PTS (3/11 FG, 1/7 3PT), 3 REB, 1 TO in 19 mins
Alec Burks continues to drive me crazy with lousy shot selection when he’s on the ball and inconsistent shooting off the ball. I expected him to instantly improve once he let the game come to him and had others create his looks. But Jalen Brunson spotted Burks for a multitude of open looks, and he bricked them.
Burks’ best play came on his first field goal. He attacked the pick and roll at full speed, using his momentum to get to the basket. Unfortunately, he returned to slowing down and pulling up for contested jumpers afterward. The forced shots were exacerbated by his bricks on open looks.
To make matters worse, he continues to be my pick for the worst help defender on the team. Bojan is his competition, but you can at least catch Bojan anticipating switches or hedging. Burks sometimes barely feign effort to help a nearby defender. I give Burks a 0.5 out of 5 for another night with more field goal attempts than points.
Bojan Bogdanovic: 8 PTS (2/7 FG, 1/4 3PT, 3/3 FT), 1 TO in 19 mins
Bojan Bogdanovic gave us a dud of a performance. His jumper wasn’t falling, and the Celtics switching everything held him at bay for his on-ball work. He’s yet to catch up to the rest of the team’s passing or flow of movement, so his touches inevitably become pick-and-roll isolations with little hope that he’ll pass.
I keep double-checking the stat line to confirm that Bojan didn’t do anything tertiary to help. He didn’t grab any rebounds, barely passed, and had no hope defensively. The Celtics targeted him aggressively in the second quarter, and he was a defensive liability the whole night. He can’t be this bad defensively unless he’s scoring at a high clip.
I’m willing to be patient with Bojan. The second unit doesn’t have much playmaking, likely hurting his ability to gel and fit in. But he’ll have to work harder to compensate for poor shooting nights like this. Bojan gets a 0.5 out of 5 for his rough night.
Jericho Sims: 0 PTS (0/0 FG), 2 REB in 13 mins
Jericho Sims didn’t do much of anything with his minutes. He got after some offensive boards that didn’t register on the sheet because Celtics rebounders knocked the ball out of bounds. But I’ll give him the credit for earning those second opportunities.
Besides that, Sims grabbed a couple of defensive boards and offered a modicum of rim protection against a team that mostly attacked from the perimeter. Sims has to show us more, though I’ll give him a mulligan instead of handing out another bad impact score after giving two guys 0.5s in a row.
Tom Thibodeau needs more defenders to stop Boston
I don’t think Tom Thibodeau could do much to change this result. The Celtics came out the gate knocking down contested jumpers and never let up. The Knicks could have been better on help defense, but that’s not something Thibodeau can fix beyond playing McBride more.
I’ll admit, though, that the return of third-quarters of death is worrying. Thibs is losing the halftime adjustment battle more often lately. He had the break to devise a way to punish Boston for putting undersized Tatum on gigantic Hartenstein, a strategy that made Boston’s switching defense potent. Thibodeau didn’t change anything, and Boston put the game out of reach instead.
Closing Thoughts
I’m frustrated by this loss but not doubtful about the Knicks.
I could do with never watching Jaylen Brown gas up a half-hearted dunk again after his wack dunk contest performance. So, watching him overhype his performance left me missing OG Anunoby more than ever. Seeing Tatum comfortably guard our center made me wish Mitchell Robinson were around. Having Precious struggle in space made me wonder what Randle would have done.
It felt like the Celtics saw a potential playoff opponent and tried to send a message. But the fact that New York stayed competitive, and Brunson scored 34 points only makes me anticipate a matchup at full health. I want to see a seven-game series between these two teams when they’re healthy because that will be incredible basketball to watch, win or lose.
The Detroit Pistons are next, and New York can’t afford to lose as they face quality opponents for the two weeks to follow. Let’s hope they get back on track and build momentum before the challenging games begin. I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!
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