Knicks 108 vs 105 Celtics summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Playoffs Game 1
It came down to the final buzzer in Boston as the Celtics battled back but on the final play of the game Jaylen Brown couldn't get a shot off after MIkal Bridges came up with a steal to seal the dramatic comeback from Boston.
The Knicks took a 1-0 lead from the Garden and will try to double that lead on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.
The defense, the momentum, and the intensity all favored the Knicks in the OT session after Boston let a 20 point lead slip through their hands. Anunoby slammed this one down on the break for his last bucket of the night.
Brunson did everything else right in the final 20 minutes of the game but he had an open look to win the game but just couldn't make the floater to seal the game in regulation.
White put Boston back in the lead after a 7-0 run which set up a never racking final few minutes in for those watching in the Garden.
Every time Brunson got Horford on his he wanted to break him down off the dribble. He did it a couple times from downtown, but took it to the cup from time to time as the Knicks stretched the lead out and looked like they were going to take care of Boston in regulation.
Brunson did not have a good game until the fourth quarter, but that is when he is at his best and he did not disappoint on Tuesday night. He hit big shot after big shot and led his team to the win.
It wasn't just OG threes that changed the game. It was the defense that changed. NY stopped giving up offensive rebounds and started creating turnovers and that tilted the scales late on. Anunoby leveled Brunson with 29 on the night, and this was the most spectacular of his highlight reel.
OG Anunoby dropped six threes and had two or three during the run at start of the fourth quarter. The Knicks were doing this with Karl-Anthony Towns on the bench. KAT struggled with foul trouble from the early parts of the game and played 31 minutes but was on the bench for large stretches of the game.
The Knicks went on an 11-2 run in the first few minutes of the 4th quarter and tied the game up. They did it against the Pistons in the first round. They went on a huge run late and stunned Detroit. They went into Boston and showed they can do it against the defending champions on their home court if they need to.
There was a point in the 3rd quarter where the Celtics couldn't hit a shot and the Knicks were making everything they put up. Not having Porzingis made a difference but they just went cold. At one point the Celtics had a 98.2% chance of winning the game, but the Knicks kept on chipping away.
It didn't take the Knicks too long to respond. Just a couple minutes later they went on a 9-0 run as Brunson ignited at just the right time.
The lead ballooned all the way up to 20 as Derrick White came up with a big block that led to the Al Horford slam in transition. White had 19 and led the team in scoring for a lot of the night but would cool off like the rest of his team late in the game.
The Celtics went on a 13-3 run to end the first half as Jaylen Brown put the team on his shoulders and took Boston into the break up by 16.
Brunson had just 9 points and was 3/9 from three point range, but you know the guy that was just named the NBA's most clutch player would have his say in the second half.
Payton Pritchard came in off the bench and took over in the second quarter as the Celtics built up a double digit lead before the halftime break. He had 13 points in the quarter and he had the TD Garden in the first half of Game 1.
Tatum turned it on in the first quarter hitting 13 straight points for the Celtics scoring double digits for his fifth straight playoff game.
The New York Knicks went into Boston and toppled the Celtics in Game 1. They trailed by as many as 20 points in the 2nd half, but OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson led the comeback to take a 1-0 advantage.
The Celtics came out with a few more days of rest, but it was even through the first quarter. Josh Hart got going early on with this cork screw move on Porzingis who would leave the game with an illness in the first half and not return.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
The Knicks comeback from 20 down to win Game 1 in OT from Boston!!!
Bridges stripped it from Brown who never got a shot off and the Knicks complete the comeback!!!
KAT fouls Brown with 3 seconds to go and it'll be an out of bounds play coming up with the Celtics down 3.
Under 1:00 to go!
Holiday fights for the offensive board and kicks it out to Brown who sinks the three ball!
Brunson missed the lay up but KAT was there with the tip in!
White down low for Tatum and he puts it up off the glass in a hurry.
Anunoby find Bridges in the corner and he drills the three ball!!
Hart found Anunoby dashing to the rack for the slam and the foul! FT is good after the foul on Tatum.
Tatum missed a tough turn around and we are heading to overtime from Boston!!!
0.6 will be put on the clock.
Give and go from Brunson and KAT that left Brunson in space for a floater from outside the lane but he missed it!
Timeout BOS.
White missed the three ball and McBride rebounds it! Timeout NY with 5.5 to go!
White wraps up the rebound off the Anunoby miss and BOS take a timeout with 28 to go.
Brown looks down to Holiday and he lays it up and in. Under a minute to go.
Anunoby in the corner off the feed from Brunson and he drills the three ball!
White puts Boston back in the lead with a three ball from the corner off the kick out from Holiday!!
Timeout Knicks with 2:15 to go after a 7-0 run from the Celtics!!!
Brunson sends Tatum to the line and he hits both FTs with 2:50 to go.
Brown to the line after the foul on Bridges and he hits both FTs.
Brunson did it again! Another three ball off the step back and NY lead by 6!!
Timeout Knicks with 3:48 to go in the 4th quarter!!!
Brunson goes behind the back and steps back from the wing and he drills the three ball!
Brunson on the step back and he gets the foul on Brown. He goes to the line and hits both FTs.
Holiday with an offensive rebound and Brown goes to the rack for the lay up off the dribble.
Bridges finds Brunson in the corner and he drills the three ball!
Extra pass from Tatum to Holiday and he drills it on the wing!!!
Timeout Knicks with 6:24 to go in the 4th quarter!!
Anunoby strips Tatum and he takes it all the way for the one handed slam!
Hart to the line after the foul on Horford and he hits one of two FTs.
Brown fouled by Hart and he hits both FTs.
Anunoby pulls up from the top of the key an it's a 28-9 run for NYK!!!
Timeout Celtics with 9:26 to go in the fourth quarter!!
KAT back into the game, and he gets the offensive board and the put back.
McBride sinks the three ball from the corner off the feed from Bridges and it's back to a six point game.
WE ARE HEADING TO THE FOURTH QUARTER!!!
The Knicks cut a 20 point lead down to six, and head into the 4th trailing by 9.
Horford sticks a three ball from the wing off the dish from Tatum!
Hauser sends Anunoby to the line after the foul from outside the arc and he hits two of three FTs.
Brunson pulls up with a three ball on the break and he drains it from the wing!!!
Anunoby out on the break again and he slams it down with two hands.
Hart races down court and goes right to the rack for the lay up.
Tatum with back to back three balls, this one from a step over the Celtics logo at half court!!
Brunson off the dribble and he pulls up with the mid range jumper.
Tatum breaks up the 9-0 Knicks run with a three ball out of the break!
Brunson drives down the left side of the lane and floats it in while falling out of bounds.
Timeout Boston with under 3:30 to go in the third quarter.
Robinson to the line after the foul on Kornet and he hits one of two. He's 3/10 from the line tonight.
Anunoby from the other wing, and he's got four threes tonight!
Anunoby from the wing off the dish from Brunson and he splashes it!
White answers back with a three ball, he's got 16 to lead the Celtics!
Hart with a deep three ball out of the timeout and the Knicks neded that
White with the block on Towns on one end and Tatum looks up for Horford who slams it home on the break!
Timeout Knicks with 6:18 to go!
Tatum finds White who spots up from the wing and he sticks it for his second of the quarter!
Towns whistled for his fourth foul with an offensive foul on Holiday.
Anunoby drives into traffic and he gets a tough lay up to go on the left side.
White from the top of the key off the kick out from Tatum and he drills it!
Brunson to the line after the foul on White and he hits both FTs.
Holiday pulls up off the step back and he drills the three ball from the wing!
Bridges drills a three ball to start the half off the dish from Anunoby.
WE ARE BACK IN BOSTON FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!!!
Jaylen Brown came to life late on as the Celtics went on a 25-10 run to end the first half. Brown had 14 points as the C's built up a 16 point lead going into the half.
Jalen Brunson was quiet in that first half. HE's got 9 points but he went 3/9 from the field. KAT has 10 to lead the Knicks but he got into foul trouble early and that hurt the Knicks.
Pritchard came off the bench and got on the board early and often in the 2nd quarter. He had 13 points and has been to the line five times hitting all five. BOS are 16/20 from the line while the Knicks are just 8/19 because of Mitchell Robinson and his multiple trips to the line after the Celtics imposed a hack-a-Mitch.
Tatum told his teammates to take a little break while he carried them for a few minutes. He scored all 13 of his first quarter in a first quarter flurry.
Tatum got hot in a hurry during that first quarter. He had 8 straight points for the Celtics and had 13 in the first quarter.
These two teams came out exchanging blows in the early part of the game. The Knicks got production from a few different guys but it was one Celtic who carried Boston in the first quarter.
WE ARE HEADING TO THE HALFTIME BREAK FROM BOSTON!!!
The Celtics build up their biggest lead of the night in the last few minutes of the half. It was a 13-3 run for the home side and they lead by 16.
Brown with the pull up and he hits the elbow jumper.
Brown backing down Brunson and Pritchard lobbed it up for the alley oop lay up from Brown.
Brown drives, fakes the pass and finger rolls it in down the lane.
Kornet puts it on the deck and lays it up and in off the dish from Brown.
Brunson pulls up from the elbow and drills it.
Pritchard to the line after the foul on Brunson and he hits one of two FTs.
Hart to the line after the foul on Holiday and he hits one of two FTs.
Pritchard to the line after the foul on Brunson and he hits both FTs.
Timeout Celtics with 3:27 to go in the first half!
Holiday with the follow on the Pritchard missed three and he gets the follow to fall.
Hart with a couple of offensive rebounds and a kick out to Brunson for three from the wing!!
Robinson to the FT line again, and he hits one of two after the foul on Holiday.
White releases to the bucket off the long rebound and Tatum finds him for the lay in on the break.
Robinson misses both FTs after the foul on Pritchard.
Brunson laid it up and in on the break but the C's were fouling Robinson all the way down the court. After review there was no clear path, and the foul on Robinson came before the basket.
Horford to the line after the foul on McBride and he hits both FTs.
Brown with back to back buckets this time on a leaner in the lane.
Brown stops in the lane and he hits the short jumper from the paint.
Timeout Knicks with 7:23 to go in this 2nd quarter.
White sends Hart to the line where he hits one of two FTs.
Holiday dashes to the iron and gets another lay in to fall.
Bridges floats it up and in from outside the lane.
Pritchard going hard to the rack and he lays it up and in off the glass.
McBride into the paint and gets a floater to go over Porzingis.
Pritchard with a deep three ball and he hits the pull up from the top of the key!
Holiday down the left side of the lane and lays it up over Robinson.
Brunson to the line after getting fouled by Holiday on the three and he hits two of three FTs.
Brown to the line after the third foul on KAT and he hits one of two FTs.
Hart off the pick and roll with Brunson who found him streaking to the bucket and he laid it up. White blocked it but was called for a goaltend.
Brown to the line after the foul on Bridges and he hits both FTs.
Towns with the turnaround on the baseline and he sinks it from the corner.
Towns surrounded by C's but he still got it to fall from down low.
Holiday dribbles into the lane and hits a short jumper from the paint.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER!!!
The Celtics lead by 1 thanks to 13 early points from Tatum. Anunoby, Towns and McBride all have 6 to lead the Knicks. Brunson has just two.
Towns to the line after another foul on Kornet. KAT hits both FTs.
Robinson back to the line after the foul on Kornet and he hits one of two FTs.
Pritchard with a quick trigger from the top of the key and he's got 5 quick points off the bench!
Kornet fouled Robinson but he misses both FTs as Kornet went right at the big man wanting him at the line.
Payne sends Pritchard to the line and he hits both FTs.
Payne fouled by Horford but he misses both FTs.
Towns takes Horford off the dribble and gets the fader from under the bucket.
Timeout Celtics with 2:07 to go in the 1st quarter.
White misses the three ball from the top of the key but Kornet was there for the tip slam!!!
Anunoby with the step back and he drills another three ball as the triples start to rain down!!!
Tatum pull up from behind the FT line and hits it over Brunson.
McBride steps into a three ball from the top of the key and he's got a couple threes off the bench.
Aninoby in the corner and he answers back with a three ball!!!
Tatum pulls up from the wing and he drills the deep three ball!!! He's already in double digits!!
Outlet from Brown to Tatum in stride and he glides to the iron for a two handed slam! He's got the last 8 Celtics points.
Timeout Knicks with 6:29 to go in the first quarter!!
Tatum fouled by Towns on a three ball, and Tatum hits two of three FTs. Hart and Towns have two fouls a piece.
McBride answers back with a three ball right after coming off the bench! He had a terrible first round and looking to shake that off ASAP.
Tatum pulls the trigger off the dribble and knocks down the three ball from the top of the key!
Tatum to the line after the foul on Towns and he hits one of two FTs.
Brunson missed the floater but Towns was there for the tip in.
Hart fouled Brown on the tip in attempt and and he hits one of two FTs.
Brunson driving into the lane and he hits the floater for this first bucket of the series.
White to the line after the foul on Brunson and he hits both FTs.
Hart with a dipsy do on Porzingis faking the reverse, pivoting and laying it up down low as the Latvia went flying.
Porzingis tips out the missed shot to White in the corner and he drills the three ball to open the C's account!
Bridges missed the mid range jumper but Hart was there for the tip in for the first bucket of the series.
GAME 1 IS UNDERWAY FROM BOSTON!!!
Starting five Knicks
The Knicks come into Boston looking to steal one on the road in Game 1. It's OG, Hart, KAT Brunson and Bridges to begin the series from the Garden.
C's first five
The defending champs have a full squad for Game 1 and Joe Mazzulla is going with his big dogs out of the opening block. Holiday is back, with Brown, Tatum White and Porzingis to start Game 1 against the Knicks.
A rivaly renewed
The Celtics and Knicks haven't met in the playoffs in over a decade. The last time these two teams played in the postseason was 2013 when the Knicks beat the Celtics 4-2 in the first round. Things have changed since then, and the C's are coming into this series as favorites but they are always going to get a fight from the Knicks.
Series history
We have broken down the match ups and gone over the season series, but one thing is left. Who leads the historical series when these two Eastern Conference giants meet in the playoffs? You might guess it’s the Celtics given their long and successful reign as the winningest team in history. You would be right. By how much? Our Paul Reidy has you covered with all the stats and info.
Injury report: Knicks
The Knicks also went through a rough series against the Detroit Pistons who play an ultra physical brand of basketball. Jalen Brunson had to go to the locker room in the middle of a handful of games throughout the series, but would always come back. He and the rest of the team have avoided the injury list coming into the series opener and head coach Tom Thibedeaux will hope that trend continues in this series.
Injury report: Celtics
The Celtics might have taken care of the Magic in five games, but it didn’t come without a price. Jayson Tatum missed a game with a wrist injury. Kristaps Porzingis had his head split open and needed to get stitches before getting back to the court and Jrue Holiday missed the final three games of the first round with a strained hamstring. Coming into this second round series, with a few days of rest under their belt, they have a clean injury report with no one listed out, probable or questionable.
Back to back bid for Boston
The Boston Celtics are the winningest team in the history of the league, and they are looking to add to their trophy case with a back to back bid. The days of dynasties are getting tougher and tougher to maintain, and there hasn’t been a repeat winner since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. Back to back title seasons have only happened 13 times that have won back to backs in the history of the league and obviously the Celtics are scattered across that list. They won eight in a row in the days of Bill Russell and Red Auerbach from 1959-1966 and did it again in the ’68 and ’69 season. It’s proving to be increasingly difficult to build championship teams and keep championship teams but that’s what Joe Mazzula’s team is going to try to do over the next months.
Sweep for C’s in season series
Recent history doesn’t paint a promising picture for the New York Knicks who lost all four games against the Boston Celtics this season. These two teams tipped off the season playing against each other in Boston back in late October. The Celtics put a whooping on the Knicks to start their campaign off with a win, but the two teams didn’t play again until early February. Boston would win that one in convincing fashion as well. The third encounter back in Boston was tighter, but the Celtics beat New York by 13 to make it three straight over the Knicks. The final game was the closest, but the Celtics pulled it off in overtime from Madison Square Garden to take the season sweep over the Knicks, and now here they are, playing for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Star watch: Celtics
Jayson Tatum wasn’t last year’s Final MVP during the C’s title run, that distinction went to Jaylen Brown. Tatum is and has been the leader of this team for the last few years. Both Brown and Tatum are locked in for the long term, and have learned to share the spotlight for the greater good. Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6 assists in the regular season and despite a 17 point performance in Game 1 of last series he ended with three straight games of 35+ after missing Game 2 with a wrist injury. He is who this team leads on, and you know if the Celtics gets back to the Finals, Tatum is going to carry them there.
Star watch: Knicks
The New York Knicks have undergone a renaissance since trading for Jalen Brunson a few years ago. After a terrible run in the pre-Brunson era, the Knicks have gone to the postseason three straight years. His numbers dipped a little from his career year last season, but he still averaged 26 points, 2.9 rebounds and 7.3 assist. He bumped those averages up against the Pistons in the first round, scoring 31.5 points, 4 rebounds and 8.2 assists and had 40 points and 7 rebounds in the Game 6 win over Detroit. That should come as no surprise since he was named the most clutch player in the league this year. You can bet that he’s going to have his chance to make his mark on this series, especially late in the series.
How they got here: Knicks
The Knicks made a massive preseason trade, sending away Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for Karl Anthony-Towns. It took a little while to adjust to the changes in the big city and they were a .500 team for the first month of the season but started to string wins together around Thanksgiving and had a nine game win streak to end the calendar year that put them into the upper echelon of teams in the East. Knicks top scorer Jalen Brunson got hurt at the beginning of March and was forced to sit out for about a month, and New York went 9-6 in that time. Brunson returned for the final few games of the regular season but the Knicks lost three of their last four and finished with the the three seed heading into the playoffs, finishing a game over the Pacers in 4th and three games over the Bucks in 5th .
How they got here: Celtics
The Celtics came into the season as the team to beat after keeping most of their title winning team around from last year. They won 16 of their first 20 games, and were in the hunt for the one seed all season, but could never catch up to the Cleveland Cavaliers who finished the season with the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Once in the playoffs they rolled over the 7 seed Orlando Magic with a gentleman’s sweep and if they are going to keep their back-to-back bid up, they are going to have to deal with a tough Knicks team in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
We are live from Boston
Hello everyone and welcome to Boston where the Celtics are back home after taking care of their first round series in Game 5 here from the Garden. They might be the favorites to win it all, and looked like contenders despite having a few injury scares in their opening round series with the Orlando Magic. Tonight they welcome the New York Knicks who went through a grueling series with the Detroit Pistons. It lasted six games and four of those games were decided by three points or less. Now the Knicks will try and knock off the defending champions and they will have to do it knowing the C’s have home court advantage.
Knicks vs. Celtics Game 1
It’s one of the NBA’s longest and richest rivalries and tonight the first page of the newest chapter gets written. The defending champions and the all time winningest team in league history take on the team from the big city, with the most illustrious stadium, looking to return the franchise to prestige after more than a half century without a title. It’s the Boston Celtics hosting the New York Knicks in Game 1 from TD Garden, and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s series opener.