NEW YORK CITY — Below the brilliant lights of Madison Sq. Backyard, and with nothing at stake however an unwavering aggressive spirit, the Celtics gained their ninth straight highway sport, a 119-117 additional time thriller over the New York Knicks.
The Celtics rolled out their common beginning lineup regardless of six gamers being listed on the damage report and noticed everybody go well with up besides Al Horford, who was dominated out with a knee sprain the day prior.
Jayson Tatum (32 factors, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) and Kristaps Porzingis (34 factors on 8-13 from three) each hit clutch threes down the stretch to safe the victory, Tatum’s coming on the finish of regulation and Porzingis’s on the finish of additional time.
And, primarily based on how they battled down the stretch, you’d by no means guess that the standings have been solidified and the Celtics have been locked into No. 2 within the East no matter Tuesday’s end result.
“We nonetheless acquired some issues we will work on, and going on the market competing on a stage like this, what else would you moderately do?” Derrick White mentioned. “We’re on the market and we’re within the sport — would possibly as nicely go and attempt to get a win.”
Right here’s what stood out from on the bottom in Madison Sq. Backyard.
Jayson Tatum continues to determine himself as one of many NBA’s all-time clutch gamers
Jayson Tatum is traditionally clutch — at the very least, that’s what the numbers say.
Since shot monitoring started in 1997, 65 NBA gamers have taken at the very least 50 photographs to tie or take the lead within the final 24 seconds of the fourth quarter or additional time. Tatum has the third-best discipline objective share in such a state of affairs, taking pictures 36.8% on 57 makes an attempt.
In opposition to the Knicks, Tatum added one other massive crunch-time shot to his resume, hitting a pull-up three over OG Anunoby with 2.9 seconds left in regulation to tie the sport.
The three-pointer got here a possession after Tatum was fouled on a 3 by Karl Anthony-Cities and hit two of three free throws.
He bounced again rapidly from the miss.
“Subsequent play,” Tatum mentioned of his mindset. “Shit occurs. I needed to make all three however missed it; they got here and made a shot. I used to be simply making an attempt to make up for it, make a play. And, I did.”
In the end, the Celtics’ main scorer scored 12 of the group’s closing 16 factors of regulation.
Kristaps Porzingis catches hearth from (actually) deep
Kristaps Porzingis nailed 8 of 13 three-point makes an attempt within the win, tying his career-high.
However he couldn’t have seen the three-point onslaught coming.
“This morning in shootaround and pregame, my shot was manner off, however that’s the way it works out a whole lot of occasions,” Porzingis mentioned. “As soon as I noticed the ball getting in, I simply let it fly with out considering, and it was a great evening.”
The largest three of the evening got here with the rating tied with 41 seconds to play in regulation, all the best way from the emblem. Porzingis laughed as he recalled his resolution to shoot such a deep three with 7 seconds remaining on the shot clock.
“The ball rolled to me, and I mentioned that is future,” Porzingis mentioned with a smile,
This season, Porzingis is taking pictures a career-best 41.6% from three regardless of taking pictures the deepest threes of his profession and having one of many longest three-point shoot distance averages within the league.
Porzingis mentioned earlier in his profession, he explored transferring in his three-point shot a bit bit nearer, however he discovered that it didn’t make him extra environment friendly.
“I’ve tried to see if my effectivity goes up after I get nearer to the three-point line, but it surely actually doesn’t,” Porzingis mentioned. “I’m simply snug taking pictures a bit bit out, and it helps our offense, stretching the protection out extra. So if my effectivity doesn’t change, I’ll take these deeper ones, and possibly it’s a consolation factor — realizing the defender gained’t have the ability to get there for a good contest. I take my time and let it fly.”
His teammates proceed to be in awe of how he can assist them on the ground.
“KP is unbelievable,” Derrick White mentioned. “He missed a pair early after which simply saved taking pictures from additional and additional away.”
Nobody cares concerning the Celtics’ season sweep of the Knicks
With the additional time win, the Celtics have gained all 4 of their video games in opposition to the Knicks, outscoring New York by 65 factors within the season sweep and taking pictures 44% from three.
However, nobody on the Celtics is taking a lot away from the common season outcomes.
“It means nothing,” Joe Mazzulla mentioned. “If something, it’s extra harmful for us, considering one, that we’re going to get to the second spherical — we could not get there. You must give up to that.”
“There’s a lot that should occur earlier than that. In case you don’t deal with what you’ve performed in opposition to someone else, then that would truly be extra detrimental to you psychologically.”
Derrick White sounded identical to his head coach when requested concerning the group’s dominance over New York this season.
“It means completely nothing,” he mentioned.
Jaylen Brown sits the whole fourth quarter and additional time
Jaylen Brown struggled within the win as he continues to battle a knee damage, ending with 6 factors on 2-8 taking pictures, 1 help, 3 turnovers, and 5 rebounds.
Brown, who has been on a minutes restriction that’s saved him beneath half-hour an evening since March fifteenth, performed simply 21 minutes, sitting out the whole fourth quarter and additional time.
Mazzulla didn’t go into a lot element when requested about his resolution to not play Brown within the closing 17 minutes of the sport, stating: “We simply acquired what we wanted to get out of him as he continues to push himself and take a look at himself. We nonetheless have video games left, and so we simply acquired what we wanted to get, what we wanted to see.”
Porzingis, in the meantime, steered that there may not be worth in Brown pushing by the ache in the course of the house stretch of the common season.
“He’s a tricky dude,” he mentioned. “He all the time preaches his warrior mindset. He lives by it. However to what extent we’d like that proper now? Possibly he must maintain it and ensure he’s going to be prepared for a very powerful second.”
On the sidelines, Brown remained engaged the remainder of the best way, however by no means checked again into the sport. He’s missed 8 video games for the reason that All-Star break coping with the knee damage, which the group has formally communicated as a “bone bruise with posterior impingement in his proper knee” which he has largely continued to play by.
Doesn’t seem like Jaylen Brown will play within the fourth — he’s performed 21 minutes tonight
He’s in good spirits & clapping up the huddle with 3 minutes to play pic.twitter.com/4AqeI2GjrK
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) April 9, 2025
The Celtics are one win away from the NBA all-time highway report
With the win, the Celtics have a league-best 33-7 report on the highway. A victory on Wednesday in Orlando would tie them with the 2015-16 Warriors for one of the best all-time highway report.
However, Mazzulla mentioned after the win in opposition to the Knicks that he wasn’t even conscious of the accolade. And, at shootaround Tuesday morning, Payton Pritchard equally rejected the notion that the report was one thing the Celtics have been going for.
“You’ll be able to have that and never win the championship, and no person remembers,” Pritchard mentioned.
Nonetheless, as winners of 17 of their final 18 video games outdoors of TD Backyard, it’s plain that the Celtics have merely been particular on the highway. They at the moment have the second-best highway scoring differential in NBA historical past, outscoring opponents by 10.15 factors per sport. Solely the 1972 Lakers, who outscored opponents by 11.32 factors en path to an NBA championship, completed the season with a greater highway differential.
“I feel simply because the season went on, it was simply an id that the fellows have developed,” Mazzulla mentioned. “Now we have to have the ability to win massive video games and shut video games and hard video games regardless, however that’s simply sort of a small piece of an id that this explicit group has taken on.”
