Knicks battle late, but fail to overcome disastrous middle quarter in 123-117 loss to Celtics

The Knicks were defeated by the Boston Celtics 123-117 on Tuesday night at TD Garden.

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– The Knicks have had ups and downs this season, but they are off to a good start this season. Josh Hart continued its strong play, dropping 11 points in the first seven minutes, and New York knocked down four of its first seven attempts from downtown to quickly open a double-digit lead.

Announcement

– The Celtics offense finally found its footing after an early timeout, but New York’s hot shooting continued. Boston adopted the “Hack-A-Mitch” strategy. Mitchel Robinson in an attempt to slow the momentum on the first run, but after 12 minutes they still found themselves 11 points down.

– The second quarter was a very different story. The Knicks put together one of their worst quarters of the season, losing their composure after some bad calls didn’t go their way, and Boston was able to take advantage. The Celtics used a long stretch to reduce the deficit and eventually got a lead of their own, which they carried into halftime (58-52).

– Boston outscored the Knicks 37-20 in the middle frame; their top scorer, Jaylen Brown, he was responsible for 18 of those points, as he finally found his touch after going just 2-of-5 from the field in the first quarter.

– The Celtics were able to keep the momentum going after halftime. New York eventually found its rhythm and managed to cut the deficit to six points, but Brown led Boston in another barrage of points and they took their largest lead of the game into the final frame (18).

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– The Knicks’ second unit helped them regain momentum in the opening minutes of the quarter. The starters then returned to the field, and behind Mikal Bridges‘ hot takes and City of Karl-Anthony‘ three-point game, they were able to cut the deficit down to three points.

– Clutch buckets from Towns, Hart and Bridges helped New York hang around down the stretch. The Celtics got great plays from them Jordan Walsh and Brown in the final minutes, though, and they barely held on for the win. Brown finished with a game-high 42 points on 16-of-24 from the field.

– Derrick White Knocked down four threes, Walsh had eight points on a perfect night from the field and six rebounds.

– Jalen Brunson tied his season high with 11 assists, but shot an inefficient 6-of-21 from the field (15 points). With the captain in difficulty, it was Bridges who led the way for the Knicks’ attack, finishing with 35 points on 12 of 17 from the field and 8 of 12 from three-point range.

Announcement

– Towns scored 29 points and had seven rebounds, Hart finished with 19 and seven rebounds.

Game MVP: Jaylen Brown

Brown took over after a quiet first quarter, finishing with a game-high 42 points.

Highlights

What’s the next step?

The Knicks return to MSG to host the Hornets on the second night of a back-to-back Wednesday at 7:30 p.m