When Jalen Brunson was ruled out with foot soreness, it seemed to kill the excitement surrounding this Knicks–Celtics matchup. Nonetheless, the game didn’t disappoint, as the Knicks won 131-129 in double overtime, with Immanuel Quickley having the game of his life, finishing with a career-high 38 points in 55 minutes. He also had 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Julius Randle (31 points and 9 rebounds) and RJ Barrett (29 points and 11 rebounds) also had great games for New York, who extended their winning streak to nine.
The Celtics couldn’t avenge their loss to the Knicks from earlier this week, but they fought until the end. The Knicks went on a 21-2 run at the end of the 3rd and into the 4th quarter. Boston trailed by 7 points with 1:25 remaining but were able to force overtime. Jayson Tatum finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Jaylen Brown had 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals. Horford hit clutch threes at the end of regulation and the first overtime, but couldn’t hit the final shot of the second overtime. He finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks. The Celtics were without Robert Williams and Malcolm Brogdon.
Quickley, starting in place of Brunson, opened the game with a deep straightaway three, and Derrick White, starting in place of Williams, answered by swishing a three on the other end. The Knicks led the entire quarter but the Celtics went up 31-28 after a Tatum three with 35 seconds left, his 16th point of the period. Julius Randle responded with a three, but White got an and-1 offensive rebound put-back, and Boston a 34-31 lead after one.
RJ Barrett scored 14 1st quarter points and the Knicks shot 48 percent from the field. The Celtics didn’t shoot as well, but they had six offensive rebounds and 11 second chance points.
After Jaylen Brown hit a pull-up transition three and Boston took a 42-35 lead, they seemingly had all the momentum. But Quickley’s menacing two-way presence tilted it back in New York’s favor. He got a steal in the backcourt and finished the open layup, and offensively pushed the pace on every possession. His rebound and hit-ahead pass initiated this beautiful transition sequence:
This immediately prompted a Joe Mazzulla timeout, who was not happy following this play.
Mazzulla showing some emotion. Frustrated after the Knicks get an easy leak-out, calls timeout, comes over to bench, has some words and tosses clipboard on the ground.
— Adam Himmelsbach…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CelticsBlog – All Posts…