No. 1 Celtics defeat the undermanned Knicks despite a scorching performance from Jalen Brunson.
This is not how it’s intended to seem. Not the greatest team in the league.
Not with the top defensive backcourt in the NBA.
Definitely not as the defensive scout’s main target when two of the team’s most important offensive players are sidelined with injuries.
High-level jumpers are poetry in motion thanks to Jalen Brunson, and the Boston Celtics defensive backcourt was unable to stop the Knicks All-Star from scoring.
Although Brunson finished with a game-high 34 points on 12-of-25 shooting from the field and four-of-nine shooting from downtown, the Celtics easily won 116-102 at Madison Square Garden. Despite being checked by Derrick White and Jrue Holiday of Boston, he recorded these figures.
At the end of the previous season, Holiday and White were both selected to the NBA All-Defensive Teams. In five of the previous six seasons, Holiday—Brunson’s main defender—has been selected to the First or Second Team All-Defense.
Even though Brunson lost by a wide margin, his performance was nevertheless positive. What would happen when Julius Randle and OG Anunoby ultimately return to the starting lineup if the Celtics are unable to remove the Knicks star from the game while he is the lone star scorer on the floor?
After Randle’s right shoulder dislocation and Anunoby’s right elbow surgery, the Knicks are optimistic that they will return to the court in time for the playoffs.
In only the first half, Brunson scored 19 points with both players out.
Despite Mitchell Robinson’s absence from the squad since December due to ankle surgery, the Knicks were outmatched against the Celtics, who own the best record in the entire NBA.
Despite only being behind by four points at the half, the Knicks lost 35–26 in the third quarter and fell as far behind as 20 points.
“They have excellent defense. Their rims are protected. Their ability to rebound has improved, said to head coach Tom Thibodeau. They have several men on the offensive line that can stop you off the dribble. They have a great deal of skill. They are able to disperse you. They make three excellent shots. They play with great efficiency. Every game, they shoot fifty threes. And they fire it.
They get to the ball quickly and get long rebounds when they miss. Make sure you’re challenging shots and returning to the body.
Donte DiVincenzo added 12 points on four of eight downtown shooting, while Josh Hart scored 16 points. The only other Knick to score in double figures was Miles McBride (11 points).
Six Celtics, including the entire starting five from Boston, scored ten points or more in the meantime. Jaylen Brown led the way with thirty, while Kristaps Porzingis—a former first-round choice of the Knicks who was jeered during the pregame introductions—scored twenty-two.
With six rebounds, six assists, and 19 points, Jayson Tatum finished.
The Knicks are 0–4 against the Celtics this season, and on April 11, at the TD Garden, they will take on Boston for the fifth time due to the inaugural In-Season Tournament.
Their track record demonstrates their excellence when examined closely, according to Thibodeau. “You access every one of their numbers. They have strength on both ball sides. And when you watch the movie and compare the teams, you can see that Tatum and Brown are on one squad, and Derrick White, Holiday, and Porzingis are on another. This is a team with few weaknesses.
Even if the Knicks lose that Saturday’s game, the Celtics will have far more to worry about than simply Brunson, who has their number, if Randle and Anunoby are well by then.
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