In a thrilling matchup between two historic NBA franchises, the Boston Celtics emerged victorious over the New York Knicks with a final score of 116-102. The Celtics showcased their offensive prowess, shooting an impressive 52% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc. Jayson Tatum led the charge for Boston with a game-high 32 points, while Kemba Walker added 25 points and Marcus Smart chipped in with 18 points off the bench.
The Knicks put up a valiant effort, but ultimately could not keep up with the high-powered Celtics offense. Julius Randle led New York with 24 points and RJ Barrett contributed 20 points in a losing effort.
Jaden Springer joined the Boston Celtics at the February 8 trade deadline. He came highly recommended by Sam Cassell, who is an assistant coach for the Celtics but was previously working under Doc Rivers with the Philadelphia 76ers. The defensive-minded guard made his debut on Thursday (Feb. 22) during the Celtic’s win over the Chicago Bulls.
When speaking to the media following the game, Springer was asked what differences he’s spotted since arriving in Boston. He noted how the Celtics play a more free-flowing brand of basketball, with everybody empowered to make reads based on how the defense is guarding them.
The Celtics star only scored 19 points, shooting 7 of 15 from the field as he added six rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block in the win. Tatum’s stats were also relatively unimpressive at halftime, shooting the ball just five times as the Celtics held a 62-58 lead at the break.
Tatum started to put his imprint on the game in the second half, scoring 12 points and dishing out four assists. He was also part of the effort to slow down Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who shot just 5 of 12 from the field and 1 of 4 from deep in the final two frames.
even without their three starters, the Knicks are still plenty dangerous.
"Anytime you have injuries," Thibodeau said, "it’s an opportunity for other guys to step forward."
The Knicks hung with the Celtics Saturday for the first half. The second was a different story.
If the Knicks were healthy? Perhaps that's completely different story altogether.
“Against a team like that, you have to play 48 minutes of really good basketball,” Thibodeau said. “We didn’t do that tonight.”
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