New York Knicks Shock Boston Celtics to Win Game 2

It happened again. The New York Knicks overcame another 20-point deficit to shock the Boston Celtics in Game 2. They won 91-90 to take a 2-0 series lead. Josh Hart had 23 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 21. Jaylen Brown had 20 points, but Jayson Tatum severely underperformed, and their offense collapsed. Sam Hauser was the only player out for the Celtics, while the Knicks were fully healthy. With a 2-0 series lead, they have full control heading back to Madison Square Garden.

Boston Celtics Start Strong

The Boston Celtics lost Game 1 in overtime after surrendering a 20-point lead to the Knicks. Boston’s three-point struggles from Game 1, but Jrue Holiday scored their first five points. The Celtics took a 7-0 lead, making an effort to attack the paint. Derrick White put them up by double digits with a three, but if this second round has shown anything, it’s that no lead is safe. New York quickly battled back, but their offense could not find consistent success in the first quarter. The Celtics held them to just 13 points. At the end of the first quarter, the Boston Celtics led 24-13. White had eight points, and Brown had six.

A Towns and-one got the Knicks started in the second quarter. He got another and-one the following possession, helping trim the lead. Towns fueled an 8-0 run exclusively on baskets in the post, breathing life into the New York offense. Brown helped the Celtics’ offense regroup, and a three pushed the lead back to ten. Then, a White three ignited the Boston crowd and extended the lead to 16. However, the Knicks fought back again with a 6-0 run. A Hart bucket brought it to single digits. They ended the half on an 11-4 run. At halftime, the Boston Celtics led 50-41.

The Boston Celtics had a solid first half, led by Brown. He scored 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting, followed by White with 14 points. But Tatum only had two points on 5-of-21 shooting, and the team shot 23.8% from three. Their defense in the first quarter gave them their lead, but they allowed the Knicks to trim the deficit going into the half. New York’s offense found life in the second quarter with 28 points. Towns led with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 10 rebounds. Hart had 11 points, and Jalen Brunson had seven. The Knicks already made a dent in the Celtics’ lead and aimed to win another game on the road.

Another Knicks Comeback

Tatum knocked down a three and threw down a dunk to start the third quarter. But Towns and Hart remained effective in the paint. Towns was unstoppable in the post, no matter who Boston threw at him. But from there, the Celtics went on a run. A Brown three, a White layup, and a Luke Kornet dunk extended their lead to 18. Kristaps Porzingis scored his first points to put them up 20, the same lead they blew in Game 1. The Knicks looked for a Game 1 repeat, quickly cutting it to 12 with an 8-0 run to close the quarter. At the end of the third quarter, the Boston Celtics led 73-61.

Porzingis started the fourth quarter with an and-one dunk. Payton Pritchard and Mikal Bridges traded baskets as both teams went back and forth. Bridges was scoreless in the first three quarters but heated up in the fourth. He helped cut the lead to 10. With five minutes left, the Boston Celtics led 86-77. Then, a Brunson three and a Hart bucket brought it to four. It was Game 1 all over again.

Towns secured an and-one putback, and New York made it a one-point game with two and a half minutes left. The Celtics went six minutes without a bucket, and a Brunson basket gave the Knicks the lead. Then, he got another basket in transition, putting them up by three. It was an unparalleled 21-2 run. Tatum’s free throws brought it to one. This gave Boston the last shot with 24.2 seconds remaining. But Tatum wasted no time, driving in for a dunk. This put Boston up one, but New York had a chance.

Brunson was fouled with 12 seconds left and made both free throws. Tatum had the final shot, but on a drive inside, Bridges forced a turnover, making another clutch defensive play. The Knicks won it 91-90, taking a 2-0 series lead.

Final Thoughts

Game 2 was a near-beat-for-beat repeat of Game 1. Again, the Boston Celtics took a 20-point lead in the third quarter, and again, the Knicks chipped away. Again, the Boston offense had a fourth-quarter meltdown, and again, New York made the plays in the clutch. Hart had 23 points, Towns had 21, Brunson had 17 and Bridges had 14, all in the fourth quarter. With a 2-0 series lead returning home for Games 3 and 4, they have full control of the series.

This was the worst-case scenario for the Boston Celtics. They could easily have a 2-0 lead but have collapsed atrociously in both games. White and Brown each had 20 points, while Tatum struggled tremendously with 13 points on poor efficiency. Game 2 felt like a must-win, and now Game 3 is a must-win. Coming back from a 2-0 deficit is rare, and a 3-0 deficit has never been done.