Knicks 98-114 Celtics (14 Nov, 2023) Game Recap،
BOSTON — — The Boston Celtics missed a lot of 3-point shots. They also missed numerous layups.
Coach Joe Mazzulla would have been happy to make adjustments, but his options were limited.
“If I could find another shot besides a 3 or a layup, I would,” Mazzulla said after the Celtics broke out of a shooting funk to beat the New York Knicks 114- 98 Monday evening. “You can’t throw it. I mean, we can’t throw it in the ocean.”
Jayson Tatum scored 17 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, when the Celtics turned a 91-88 lead into a runaway. After missing seven of his first eight 3-point attempts, he made four in a row — including a contested one that led to a four-point play after the Knicks cut the deficit to three points.
“I’ve played enough games, I’ve had enough tough shooting nights,” said Tatum, who finished 13 for 23 in the game after going 6 for 8 in the fourth quarter. “All the really, really good scorers know that it only takes one to change your momentum, change the way you feel shooting the ball. And once you see one come in, you feel a lot better about yourself. »
Jaylen Brown added 22 points and Kristaps Porzingis had 21 against the team that drafted him.
Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and Julius Randle had 25 points and nine rebounds for New York, which was without RJ Barrett, who missed the second straight night with a migraine. The Knicks had won three in a row since opening the season 2-4, including a loss to Boston in their opener.
Mazzulla said of trading blows against a longtime rival: “He’s the best.”
“I love games like this because they’re going to reveal who we are, what we’ve done and where we need to improve,” he said. “You’re not playing as well as you could be and you’re just one behind. You should be grateful for that, because it could be much worse. And I thought our guys stuck with it, with the right mindset.
The Knicks led by eight with 75 seconds left in the second quarter before Boston made three straight baskets, scoring nine of the half’s final 11 points and cutting it to 53-52 on Brown’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Boston led by 10 late in the third quarter, but the Knicks closed to 91-88 when Brunson hit a long 3 with eight minutes remaining. Tatum responded with a 3 takedown and drew the foul, giving Boston a 95-88 lead.
“I missed so many wide open 3s. I did the hardest one of the night and missed all the easy ones,” Tatum said. “That kind of motivated me. I’ll take it.”
Jrue Holiday, who surpassed 15,000 points in his career with a 3-pointer in the third quarter, scored another 3 to make it a 10-point game.
FOLLOWING
Knicks: At Atlanta on Wednesday night.
Celtics: At Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
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