2024-25 Archives - Knicks.City https://www.knicks.city/category/2024-25/ We All Live in Knicks City Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:28:54 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.knicks.city/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/cropped-knickscity-32x32.jpeg 2024-25 Archives - Knicks.City https://www.knicks.city/category/2024-25/ 32 32 Pacers Take Game 6 with Football-like Defense. Win Series. Indiana 125 NY 108 https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/pacers-take-game-6-w-football-d-win-series-indiana-125-ny-108/ https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/pacers-take-game-6-w-football-d-win-series-indiana-125-ny-108/#respond Sun, 01 Jun 2025 17:36:55 +0000 https://www.knicks.city/?p=7182 Rick Carlisle‘s Indiana Pacers played a physical, intense defense throughout to thwart the Knicks and then rolled in the 4th quarter to a runway 125-108 win — taking the Eastern Conference Finals with a game [...]

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]]> Rick Carlisle‘s Indiana Pacers played a physical, intense defense throughout to thwart the Knicks and then rolled in the 4th quarter to a runway 125-108 win — taking the Eastern Conference Finals with a game 6 win in Indiana on a Saturday night.

The Knicks were down 9 points at the start of the 4th after an OG Anunoby bucket, but Indiana intensified their defense to NFL football level, and put the Knicks on their heels. The refs “let ’em play” as Jalen Brunson was tackled time and time again at halfcourt by a double-team blitz of Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard or Tyrese Haliburton.

The Pacers scored 30 points in the game off 15 Knick turnovers; the Knicks scored 6 points off 8 Pacer turnovers.

As the Knicks fell behind in the 4th, they took chances on offense, which resulted in more Indiana easy buckets the other way. Obi Toppin was slam dunking, and Tyrese Haliburton was hitting floater after floater in the lane as Indiana cemented the victory.

The playoff MVP was Pascal Siakam, who turned in another great game with 31 pts on 10-18 shooting and defended Karl-Anthony Towns in the paint well — although again KAT was getting HAMMERED all night inside but the refs “let ’em play.”

On another night in another NBA — like last year — Brunson and KAT deserved to get 30 free throws each.

But not to take away from Indiana, which plays a relentless 3-and-D game under Carlisle. They are the Eastern Conference champs and take on Oklahoma City for the NBA title.

“I’m proud of what these guys did,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards. “There was a lot that we had to get through. I thought we handled that part well. Mitch being out for a big chunk of the season; we got that prognosis late, so we had to adjust. And then we made the trade with KAT and got him in. And then Precious was hurt at the beginning and Landry was hurt at the beginning, so we had to get through that. And then we had to handle Jalen going out at the end of the season. So there was a lot of moving parts, but they kept fighting and moving forward, and I have great respect for that.”

“And to play the way we did in the playoffs, continued Thibs. “The playoffs are hard fought; these games can go either way and oftentimes they’re 1-possession games. So there’s the importance of fighting to win every possession; to do all you can each and every day to prepare yourself for these situations.”

“So there’s the disappointment of falling short of the ultimate goal, but also proud of what we were able to accomplish because we still had to win games with guys being out.”

1. Knicks and Pacers Fought Evenly in 1st Half

The two teams fought evenly in the 1st half — Indiana had a 25-24 lead after 1, and a 4-pt lead at 58-54 at the half.

2. Mitch Robinson Owned the Offensive Glass

Mitchell Robinson was OWNING the offensive boards for NY, setting the Knicks up for multiple second opportunities.

Robinson grabbed 5 offensive rebounds in the 1st quarter, and had a block, a steal, and 2 dunks inside — one an alley oop off a Bridges pass and the other an alley oop off a Landry Shamet pass.

Robinson didn’t do much in the 2nd quarter — 1 defensive rebound — but again helped the Knicks big-time in the 3rd quarter, with another alley-oop slam, a block of a Pascal Siakam drive, and a defensive rebound to help NY fight off an Indiana run.

But Robinson only played just over a minute in the 4th, entering with 5 minutes left and NY down 14, and being subbed for KAT with 4 minutes left as NY desperately tried to score points and come back from a deficit.

Robinson finished with 8 pts on 4-5 shooting with 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 30 minutes.

3. Wright Neutralized McConnell

Thibs again used Delon Wright as a TJ McConnell neutralizer. McConnell had been a thorn in the Knicks side in last year’s Indiana-NY playoff series, and in this one until Thibs found Delon as the magic neutralizer.

As soon as McConnell was put in the game, on every occasion, Delon Wright was put in to counter him, and it worked. McConnell had 3 pts on 1-4 shooting in 14 minutes with 2 turnovers and a -4.

4. Siakam Leads Indiana to 12-Pt Lead Early in 3rd

Pascal Siakam was a pill for NY to handle in the series. He hit a 3 to start the 3rd, then scored on a drive-and-1 after an Aaron Nesmith 3 and Indy had 9 straight points to start the period, taking a 13-pt lead at 67-54.

As NBA Analyst Ross Kreines noted, “Tweeted this on Pascal Siakam some time ago. Pascal truly understands on how to mix it up by not just settling but rather with dribble drives working in high or low post,getting out in the transition game along with drawing contact which all keep his defender at his mercy.”

5. Knicks Whittle 15-Pt Deficit to 7 Late in 3rd

A Thomas Bryant 3 put Indiana up 15 with 5:44 left in the quarter and things were looking bad for NY.

But the Knicks would not quit. An OG 3, Bridges deuce, and KAT bucket inside pulled NYย  within 8.

KAT was fouled next time down but only made 1 of 2 free throws to pull NY within 7.

But Indiana went on another 9-0 run — a Nesmith dunk, Thomas Bryant free throws, a McConnell 3, and a Siakam jumper — to go up 87-71 with 2:55 left in the quarter.

The Knicks still came back — and a McBride 3 from the corner pulled them to within 9 with 55 seconds left in the 3rd.

But the refs ruled McBride stepped out of bounds before shooting the 3 — and took the 3 back. Replays showed McBride did NOT step out of bounds. The Knicks got screwed.

McBride stole the ball at the end of the quarter and fed Josh Hart ahead of the field, but Hart missed the layup against intense Indiana pressure.

Josh Hart has had better games — he messed up another breakaway layup at the beginning of the 4th — but at the same time was causing some turnovers for Indiana and grabbing some offensive rebounds.

6. OG with a Huge Night for NY

Indiana took a 15-pt lead into the 4th, at 93-77, when the Knicks pushed back — KAT with a drive inside, and OG with consecutive buckets — a dunk and a drive off a Josh Hart steal — to pull NY within 9 at 92-83 with 10 minutes left.

OG starred for the Knicks all night — taking it to the hoop or hitting 3’s. He finished with 24 pts on 10-18 shooting (2-7 from 3) with 2 blocks and 2 steals.

7. Knicks Down 9 Early in 4th When Indy Intensifies D

But Indiana intensified their D even more — blitzing Brunson at half court as he brought the ball up. It became a football game with the refs “letting ’em play”.

Indiana maintained a 12- to 14-pt lead as Brunson broke free of the physical D for buckets inside a couple of times, but Haliburton and Toppin scored on the other end as the Knicks did not get back on D.

Haliburton kept driving for floaters as Indiana started to race away with the win.

Etcetera

Reggie Miller — former Indiana Pacer and Knick antagonist — was commentating the game on the National broadcast.

At one point when KAT went down and grimaced in pain as the bad knee he has been playing with was banged, Reggie said โ€œI think this is all for show.โ€

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401772994

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/pacers-take-game-6-w-football-d-win-series-indiana-125-ny-108/feed/ 0 Knicks Strike Back. Pull to Within 3-2 in Games. NY 111 Indiana 94 https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/knicks-strike-back-pull-to-within-3-2-in-games-ny-111-indiana-94/ https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/knicks-strike-back-pull-to-within-3-2-in-games-ny-111-indiana-94/#respond Sun, 01 Jun 2025 14:43:03 +0000 https://www.knicks.city/?p=7167 The Knicks struck back — jumping out to a big lead and dominating the Pacers from start to finish to win Game 5 and pull within 3-2 in games in the Eastern Conference Finals. On [...]

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]]> The Knicks struck back — jumping out to a big lead and dominating the Pacers from start to finish to win Game 5 and pull within 3-2 in games in the Eastern Conference Finals. On a Thursday night at an electric Madison Square Garden.

NY unleashed DEFENSE while Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns unleashed OFFENSE from the get go. Brunson had 32 pts on 12-18 shooting (4-7 from 3), while KAT had 24 pts on 10-20 shooting (1-3 from 3) with 13 rebounds.

Mikal Bridges added 18 pts and played phenomenal wing defense, as did OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson was dominant in the middle and on the offensive glass — with 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal in 20 minutes. Josh Hart played a strong game off the bench with 12 pts and 10 rebounds. At the end of the game, the Garden was chanting Landry Shamet — he gave the Knicks tremendous energy and defense in 14 minutes. Miles McBride and Delon Wright also played great — a total team win.

The Knicks pushed out to a 10-pt lead in the 1st quarter, led by 11 at the half, and then took it to Indiana to start the 3rd quarter, establishing a 20-pt lead. The closest Indiana could get in the 4th quarter was 12 points, but the Knicks quickly pushed them back to a near 20-pt lead.

Everyone did their job to limit the Pacers individually. All Knick starters had big +/- numbers, led by KAT with a +26 and Brunson with a +18.

Tyrese Haliburton was limited to 8 pts on 2-7 shooting. Pascal Siakam was the only Indiana starter to get double digits in points with 15. NY absolutely laid down the D.

“I thought he was very aggressive,” said coach Tom Thibodeau about KAT. “I think that’s super important; Jalen as well. The first quarter set the tone for the game. We got to make sure that we stay aggressive and stay disciplined. Staying disciplined and playing with toughness is huge.”

NY heads to Indiana for Game 6 on Saturday night.

1. Brunson Comes Out On Fire

Jalen Brunson came out ON FIRE — making his first 3 buckets of the game to give NY a 6-0 lead, then feeding Mitchell Robinson for an alley oop slam for an 8-3 lead.

Brunson hit back-to-back 3’s later in the quarter, and made another bucket for 14 points in the period.

The Knicks led 25-15, but Indiana pushed back on some 3’s — by TJ McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin late in the period to pull within 27-23 after 1.

2. Wright Neutralizes McConnell

Thibs brought in Delon Wright and Landry Shamet to start the 2nd quarter — and they amped the Knick intensity.

Wright in particular absolutely neutralized TJ McConnell — who had been a thorn in the Knicks side in last year’s Knicks-Pacers series, and in this one before Wright was sicked on him.

3. Shamet, Wright & 2nd Team Push Knicks’ Lead

While Wright was taking care of McConnell — Landry Shamet energized the Knicks as well with his defensive intensity.

4. KAT Takes It to the Rim

And KAT started to take it to the Rim. With Brunson out, KAT was the primary Knick scorer — and this would continue throughout the game — the two tag-teaming on leading the Knicks offensively.

KAT made a floater, and then a drive-and-1 next time down to put NY up 31-25.

A KAT bucket inside next time down put NY up 34-29.

Miles McBride hit a 3, Josh Hart hit a drive-and-1, and Landry Shamet hit a 3 off a Delon Wright assist and NY had a 43-34 lead.

KAT hit a drive-and-1 and NY was up 12.

OG tipped in an offensive rebound and NY was up by 14 at 48-34.

Mitchell Robinson played together with KAT and dominated on the boards and defense.

5. Brunson Leads Knick Charge to Start 3rd Quarter

NY held an 11-pt lead at the half — 56-45 — and that was nice but not enough for comfort to Knick fans whose team had backs against the wall down 3-1 in the series.

Jalen Brunson took his turn in the KAT-Brunson tag team to start the 3rd — again coming out with aggression and ON FIRE.

Brunson hit a drive, then a drive-and-1, then a 3 on consecutive possessions to up the Knick lead to 64-48.

It became a game of free throws midway through the quarter as the refs started calling it tight.

A Brunson 3-and-1 (foul on Obi Toppin) gave NY an 81-64 lead with 3 minutes left in the quarter.

6. Knicks Command the 4th

The Knicks entered the 4th up by 17 points, and it was time for the 2nd team’s defensive energy again.

Landry Shamet hit a long 2 to start the quarter and put NY up 19. OG Anunoby followed with a 3 and NY was up 20 — 95-75.

Indiana made a couple of tries at runs — with Siakam and Benedict Mathurin doing most of their scoring; a Jarace Walker 3 pulled them to within 12 with 8:15 left.

Gotta Have Hart

But Josh Hart made 2 big buckets in a row to put NY back up 16 with 6 minutes left, and a Mikal Bridges J put NY up 18 with 5 minutes left.

KAT Powers to Rim to Put It to Bed

Indiana pulled to within 14 with 3 minutes left — butย KAT again powered to the basket for a drive off a Josh Hart pass, and then a dunk next time down off a Bridges feed and NY had a 108-90 lead with 2:18 left and ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401772993

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/knicks-strike-back-pull-to-within-3-2-in-games-ny-111-indiana-94/feed/ 0 Haliburton & Siakam Star as Pacers Take 3-1 Lead. Indiana 130 NY 121 https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/haliburton-siakam-star-as-pacers-take-3-1-lead-indiana-130-ny-121/ https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/haliburton-siakam-star-as-pacers-take-3-1-lead-indiana-130-ny-121/#respond Sat, 31 May 2025 15:55:33 +0000 https://www.knicks.city/?p=7162 Tyrese Haliburton had a triple double with 32 pts (on 11-23 shooting, 5-12 from 3), 12 rebounds, 15 assists, 4 steals, and 0 turnovers to lead the Pacers to a 130-121 win over the Knicks [...]

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]]> Tyrese Haliburton had a triple double with 32 pts (on 11-23 shooting, 5-12 from 3), 12 rebounds, 15 assists, 4 steals, and 0 turnovers to lead the Pacers to a 130-121 win over the Knicks on a Tuesday night in Indiana — giving the Pacers a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Pascal Siakam was a heady sidekick — with 30 pts on 11-21 shooting (3-4 from 3) and the Pacers also got great play from Aaron Nesmith (16 pts and a +20), Myles Turner,ย  T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin (20 pts off the bench), and Obi Toppin in a total team win.

The Knicks last led with a minute left in the half — but Indiana closed the 2nd quarter well to take a 5-pt halftime lead, then scored the first 7 points of the 3rd quarter to take a 12-pt lead. The Knicks fought and fought and could never overcome that deficit.

NY pulled back to within 5 in the 3rd, but Indiana again closed the quarter well and were up by 11 entering the 4th, then upped the lead to 14 before NY came back to within 6 with 4 minutes left. Mikal Bridges led NY in the 3rd — hitting a couple of big 3’s — but he missed 3 straight rushed jumpers in the final 2 minutes and took heat from Knick fans.

Jalen Brunson had 31 pts on 9-19 shooting, but only took 3 shots in the 4th quarter, scoring 2 pts.

“Tweeted this below in 2020 on Tyrese Haliburton,” noted NBA Analyst Ross Kreines about Haliburton. “Absolute floor general! Watch how Bigs run the floor harder as they know they will get rewarded, shooters come off screens harder, guys cut harder as they know they’re getting the ball. Also, will get his own and he values the ball.”

Indiana leads the best of 7 series 3 games to 1.

1. Indiana Leads NY 43-35 After High-Scoring 1st

Indiana came out on fire, and the Knicks were right behind. Aaron Nesmith — the snipper of game 1 — hit two 3’s in the early minutes, Myles Turner hit a bucket-and-1 inside, Pascal Siakam scored on a drive, and Tyrese Haliburton hit a 3 and Indy was up 16-9.

OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns were firing back for NY, and a Mitchell Robinson alley-oop slam off a Brunson assist made it 16-11.

Benedict Mathurin came to play — and was getting buckets for Indy.

Josh Hart came off the bench (with Mitchell Robinson starting) and hit a 3 to pull NY within 29-27 with 4:29 left in the quarter, and a Brunson drive-and-1 cut the Indy lead to 31-30.

But pain-in-the-ass TJ McConnell came in and started pushing the ball for Indiana — doing the pain-in-the-ass things he does — penetrating, passing, stealing the ball.

2. Knicks Turn Ball Over; Outrebound Indy

The Knicks kept turning the ball over — Josh Hart with several bad passes early in the game as he tried to push the tempo. Mikal Bridges was guilty too. NY had 17 turnovers to Indiana’s 11.

NY did outrebound Indiana 44-33, with KAT getting 12, Hart getting 11, and Robinson 7 rebounds and a steal in 19 minutes.

3. NY Leads with 2 Minutes Left in Half, But Indy Finishes Well

TJ McConnell continued to be a pain in the ass to start the 2nd, stealing the ball from KAT near the start of the period, then making a driving layup next time down.

But coach Thibs brought in Delon Wright to guard him — and Wright absolutely neutralized him. Wright blocked a McConnell drive with 8:31 left and soon McConnell was out of the game.

Meanwhile Wright hit a 3, and he and Landry Shamet brought defensive intensity to the Knicks, with NY taking a 52-51 lead with 5:42 left.

Wright then stole the ball from Myles Turner, but missed badly on a rushed layup — and the NY momentum slipped. Still NY had a 64-63 lead after a Jalen Brunson drive-and-1 with 1:45 left in the half. It would be NY’s last lead.

Aaron Nesmith hit 2 free throws, then hit a J with 45 seconds left to give Indy a 3-pt lead, then missed a 3 but Pascal Siakam grabbed an offensive rebound and Tony Bradley layed it in for a 5-pt Indiana halftime lead.

4. Haliburton Leads Indy Run to Start 3rd

Out of the gate in the 3rd, Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam teamed up to run up 7 straight points for Indy and give them a 12-pt lead and command of the game.

Siakam hit a step-back jumper, Tyrese Haliburton stole the ball from Brunson and fed Siakam for a slam, then stole the ball off a Mikal Bridges bad pass.

Siakam hit Myles Turner for a 3 and Indy was up 76-64.

5. NY Pulls to Within 6, But Indy Finishes 3rd Quarter Well

NY pushed back, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Brunson doing much of the scoring, while Haliburton fired back for Indy.

A KAT drive pulled NY to within 6 with 1:57 left in the quarter.

But again Indy finished the quarter well — a Bennedict Mathurin drive-and-1, free throws off a drive, and a Tony Bradley free throw with a second left gave Indy an 11-pt lead, at 102-91, entering the 4th.

6. Siakam Leads Indy to Go Up 14 in 4th

Landrey Shamet was in to start the 4th and he hit an early 3 to pull NY within 106-96, but TJ McConnell started to run amuck again — hitting a J then feeding Mathurin for a dunk. Pascal Siakam then hit a drive and a 3 off two Mathurin assists and Indy was up by 15 at 111-96 with 9:53 left.

Knicks timeout.

Thibs brought in Delon Wright to neutralize McConnell — and he did just that, causing a McConnell travel and then a bad pass leading to an OG intercept. Soon McConnell was out of the game, replaced by Haliburton with 7:57 left. NY countered by bringing back Brunson for Wright.

7. Indy Physical D; Knicks Get Hit with Fuselage of Foul Calls

NY was down 111-99 when they got hit with a fuselage of foul calls — OG with a loose ball foul with 8:04 left, Josh Hart with a foul at 7:57, KAT with a foul at 7:55, and Hart with a shooting foul on Mathurin with 7:52 left.

It was frustrating for Knick fans because Indy was playing a Very Physical game — especially down low against KAT and Brunson on drives.

8. Bridges Launches NY Comeback to Within 6

But the Knicks launched one final comeback — with Mikal Bridges hitting two 3’s sandwiching drives by OG and KAT. NY was down 118-112 with 3:51 left after the second Bridges 3.

Haliburton responded with a deuce, but Hart hit a drive and NY was down 6 with 3:17 left. Pacers timeout.

9. Bridges Misses; Knicks Can’t Get Stops

In the final 3 minutes however, Bridges hot hand got cold — he missed 3 straight corner Jumpers — a 20 footer, an 18 footer, and a 3 from the corner — rushed shots as NY was trying to get back in it.

Pascal Siakam kept getting to the line and Indy upped their lead to 123-114 with a minute left. An Obi Toppin 3 with 46 seconds left sealed the win.

Jalen Brunson, who had only taken 2 shots in the quarter, scored a bucket with 16 seconds left and Bridges hit a 3 with 8 seconds left but the Knicks were defeated.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401772992

The post Haliburton & Siakam Star as Pacers Take 3-1 Lead. Indiana 130 NY 121 appeared first on Knicks.City.

]]> https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/haliburton-siakam-star-as-pacers-take-3-1-lead-indiana-130-ny-121/feed/ 0 BIG BODEGA KAT & Secret Weapons Shamet & McBride. NY 106 Indiana 100 https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/big-bodega-kat-secret-weapons-shamet-mcbride-ny-106-indiana-100/ https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/big-bodega-kat-secret-weapons-shamet-mcbride-ny-106-indiana-100/#respond Mon, 26 May 2025 15:46:10 +0000 https://www.knicks.city/?p=7150 Down 20 points with 3 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, the Knicks battled back and unleashed Karl-Anthony Towns and secret weapon Landry Shamet in the 3rd quarter to take game 3 of the Eastern [...]

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]]> Down 20 points with 3 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, the Knicks battled back and unleashed Karl-Anthony Towns and secret weapon Landry Shamet in the 3rd quarter to take game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 106-100.

The Knicks’ backs were against the wall — a loss would put them down 3-0 in the series; instead they are now down 2 games to 1.

The Knicks climbed to within 10 pts to start the 4th quarter on a 7-pt flurry by Miles McBride at the end of the 3rd — and used DEFENSE to the end, with McBride at the point and Jalen Brunson on the bench. In the final 2 minutes it was Jalen Brunson back in — and making the big bucket to put NY up by 2, then making 2 Clutch free throws to ice the game with 8 seconds left. In between Josh Hart ripped down an amazing, game-winning rebound — and made 2 Clutch free throws to keep NY up 4 with 19 seconds left.

Hart who did not start the game — in fact suggested to coach Tom Thibodeau that he was fine coming off the bench with Mitchell Robinson starting. Hart played 34 minutes of gutty basketball, with 10 rebounds.

But the biggest hero was Big Bodega KAT, who pummeled the Pacers inside for 20 pts in the 4th quarter (24 pts overall). And Landry Shamet who came off the bench in the 2nd to inject the Knicks with energy, Defense, and 3-pt shooting — finishing with a game-high +12 in 11 minutes. And McBride — who played stellar defense, ran the point for 15 minutes, and hit big shots.

“We started talking more, beating guys to their spots and stuff like that,” said Mitchell Robinson afterwards. “We just got after it.”

“They did amazing,” added Robinson about the Knick bench. ” That spark that we needed they brought it, and we were good to go.”

“We just kept fighting,” said Mikal Bridges. “We didn’t go down went they went up. Just stay fighting all the way to the end.”

Game 4 is Tuesday at Indiana.

1. NY Takes 15-10 Lead, But Indy Still Leads After 1

The Knicks came out with their backs to the wall, down 2-0 in the series after the horrific game 1 loss where they had the 14-pt lead with 3 minutes left, and the game 2 loss where they did not get it done in the 4th.

NY jumped out to a 15-10 lead.

But Indiana again had an answer, playing D and 3 ball. Myles Turner and Ben Sheppard hit 3’s and by the end of the 1st, Indiana was back on top 30-26.

2. Refs Call It Tight and Let ’em Play

The Knicks were also getting bit by ref calls. The refs were calling it tight — and Miles McBride picked up 3 quick fouls at the end of the 1st quarter.

This continued to frustrate the Knicks all night — especially KAT, who was getting hammered on drives inside but no call — yet the refs would call ticky-tack off-ball calls.

With McBride in foul trouble, Thibs reached for mid-season acquisition Delon Wright — a tremendous defensive point guard who played so well for NY when Brunson was out with the ankle injury at the end of the regular season.

Wright came in with 3:29 left in the 1st quarter, and a minute later stole the ball from TJ McConnell.

3. Shamet Enters to Start 2nd

With NY down 30-26, Thibs brought in Landry Shamet to start the 2nd quarter. It was Shamet’s first appearance in this series, and he hadn’t played against Boston either — after energizing the Knicks against Detroit.

Shamet immediately gave the Knicks a lift with defensive intensity — and after air-balling his first 3, hit a 3 with 7:30 left in the 2nd quarter to pull NY within 7.

4. McConnell Kills Knicks; Indy Goes Up by 20

But TJ McConnell was KILLING the Knicks, pushing the tempo, penetrating, passing, and hitting short jumpers against NY’s drop defense.

Pascal Siakam was scoring inside and out, Myles Turner the same thing, Aaron Nesmith got a bucket, Obi Toppin was scoring inside on a drive and a dunk, and Tyrese Haliburton was dancing and prancing as Indiana pulled out to a 20-pt lead at 55-35 with 3:20 left in the half.

All looked lost for NY.

5. OG, Hart, Bridges Pull NY to Within 13 at Half

But the Knicks pulled up their britches and finished the quarter well.

Mitchell Robinson fed OG for a dunk and NY was down 18.

OG hit a 3 and NY was down 16.

Josh Hart hit a J, and then Mikal Bridges hit a 3 off a Shamet pass with 5 seconds left and NY was down 13 at the half.

6. Bridges Carries NY but Indiana Up 15 Late in 3rd

Pascal Siakam put Indiana back up 15 to start the 3rd, but Brunson free throws and an OG 3 pulled NY to within 10.

But Indiana kept coming — a Nesmith 3 put them back up by 16 with 8 minutes left in the quarter.

Mikal Bridges took over the offense for NY — keeping them at pace with the Pacers.

An Obi Toppin Dunk was followed by a Bridges J was followed by a Haliburton was followed by a Brunson dunk was followed by a McConnell pullup and Indiana was still up 15 with 3:11 left. NY could not get stops or traction.

7. Shamet & McBride Pull NY to Within 10 After 3

And then Landry Shamet entered the game with 2:13 left, for Mikal Bridges. Shamet took on Obi Toppin.

McBride hit a pullup, then Shamet played TOUGH D on Obi posting him up — the 2 going at each other mano-a-mano — and Shamet drawing an offensive foul.

Obi was sent to the bench and had choice words for Shamet as he left the floor.

McBride then drew a foul on McConnell and made both free throws.

Mitchell Robinson BLOCKED McConnell’s drive, andย McBride hit a 3 and the Knicks were within 78-70.

Here came the Knicks, said the analyst on the broadcast.

Myles Turner broke free for a dunk to end the 3rd, but NY was within reach — down by 10 pts.

8. KAT Dominates 4th

And then came the 4th quarter, and Mr. Karl-Anthony Towns took over. He hit a 3, then started driving relentlessly to the rim, scoring with his amazingly efficient drives, then hitting 3’s again for an unstoppable inside-outside game.

He started the period with a 3, then drove inside to make it a 7-pt game.

KAT fed Delon Wright for a drive and NY was down 5.

The Knicks DEFENDED — causing Indiana misses.

KAT made free throws off a drive, then hit a 3 off an OG assist and it was 85-84 Indiana.

Next time down he dunked inside off a Bridges feed — and was fouled for a 3-pt play and NY was up 87-85 with 8:02 left.

“Give credit to Karl Anthony Towns for coming out in the 2nd half by not settling rather being in attack mode,” noted NBA Analyst Ross Krienes. “He used his size and got to rim and line which then not only lets him see the ball go through the hole, but gives him confidence but also sets up his jumper.. Also, fully engaged.”

Indiana fought back — Haliburton hit a 3; Brunson countered with a deuce; Siakam countered that with a deuce — the lead going back and forth.

NY pulled Brunson for McBride and defense with 7 minutes left and NY up 89-88.

Towns made 2 free throws off a drive, then hit a 3 and NY was up 94-90 with 5 minutes left.

Indiana again came back — scores by Haliburton and Siakam were countered by free throws off drives by Bridges and McBride.

But Indiana was getting the benefit of calls — Myles Turner ran into KAT going to the rim off ball but the foul was called on KAT — giving Turner 2 free throws. Next time down Siakam was pushed by OG and went the line for 2 more free throws. Tie game at 98-98 with 1:37 left.

9. Brunson & Hart Clutch at End

And that’s when Jalen Brunson returned and immediately hit a floater to put NY back up 100-98 with 1:17 left.

The Knicks defended, forcing a Nesmith miss of a J. But Nesmith blocked Brunson’s drive down the other end, NY with the offensive rebound, but Brunson missing a desperation shot as the 24-second shot ran out.

The Knicks defended — and Myles Turner missed a 3 with 22 seconds left — Josh Hart ripping down the HUGE rebound, getting fouled by Nesmith and coming down on his knee.

Hart made both CLUTCH free throws to put NY up 102-98 with 19 seconds left.

The Knicks defended — but Bridges was called on a touch foul of Haliburton that had even Knick hater Stan Van Gundy in disbelief on the national broadcast.

Haliburton made both free throws for a 102-100 game with 9 seconds left — and Indiana fouled Brunson with 8 seconds left to stop the clock.

Brunson made both CLUTCH free throws to put NY up 104-100 and out of a timeout, Pascal Siakam missed a 3 with 5 seconds left and NY had their win.

Indiana was forced to foul and Hart made 2 free throws with 2 seconds left for the final score.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401772991

 

 

The post BIG BODEGA KAT & Secret Weapons Shamet & McBride. NY 106 Indiana 100 appeared first on Knicks.City.

]]> https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/big-bodega-kat-secret-weapons-shamet-mcbride-ny-106-indiana-100/feed/ 0 A Jumpshot Away. Indiana 114 NY 109 https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/a-jumpshot-away-indiana-114-ny-109/ https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/a-jumpshot-away-indiana-114-ny-109/#respond Sun, 25 May 2025 15:45:01 +0000 https://www.knicks.city/?p=7141 The Indiana Pacers took the game with a strong 4th quarter, turning an 81-81 tie at the start of the period into a 10-pt lead, 110-100, with 2:25 left. The Knicks had one furious comeback [...]

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]]> The Indiana Pacers took the game with a strong 4th quarter, turning an 81-81 tie at the start of the period into a 10-pt lead, 110-100, with 2:25 left.

The Knicks had one furious comeback left in them — scoring 9 straight points to pull to within 110-109, and then had one last shot at a tie, down 112-109 with 4 seconds left.

But Jalen Brunson‘s 3 rimmed out with .2 seconds left and Indiana took a 2-0 lead in games in the best-of-7 series, winning the first 2 games at Madison Square Garden.

Siakam had 39 points on 13-23 shooting (3-5 from 3) to win the game for Indiana. Brunson had 36 pts on 13-27 shooting (5-12 from 3); Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges had 20 pts each.

“We just know that our back’s against the wall. We’ve just got to go out there and go out swinging,” said Jalen Brunson afterwards.ย 

1. Indiana Jumped Out to 19-9 Lead

The Knicks were coming off the horrific ending of game 1, where they had a 17-pt lead in the 4th quarter, and 14-pt lead with 3 minutes left, evaporate because of 6-6 shooting from 3 by Aaron Nesmith in the final minutes.

NY came out with a pressure D, making sure Indiana wasn’t getting off 3′. But Indiana got buckets inside and NY relaxed that D and before you knew it, it was Indiana 19 NY 9.

2. NY Intensified Defense; Took 26-24 Lead After 1

But NY brought in Mitchell Robinson, and re-intensified their D and got right back into the game.

Miles McBride and Brunson hit back-to-back 3’s followed by a McBride deuce, OG Anunoby dunked, Mikal Bridges hit free throws, and Mitchell Robinson tipped in an offensive rebound, and NY took a 26-24 lead after 1 quarter.

2. Siakam Rebounded with a Strong Game

Both teams rectified things that went wrong in game 1. While NY was making sure Aaron Nesmith and other Indiana shooters were pressured at the 3, Indiana made sure Pascal Siakam was getting the ball with opportunities to score.

Siakam killed the Knicks from the start, and all game.

Said NBA Analyst Ross Kreines on Siakam’s game: “Pascal can score the ball in so many ways and what he also understands is how to put and keep his defender at his mercy. When Pascal also is finding the open man it not only makes the game easier for him but also for the Pacers.”

3. Indiana Had No Answer for Mitch Inside

Indiana had no answer for Mitchell Robinson inside. When he was in the game the Knick defense and interior presence on offense was noticeable. He was a machine inside, grabbing offensive rebounds. At one point in the 2nd quarter, Mitch was a team-high +17 in 10 minutes of playing time. He was a +13 in 16 minutes at the half.

Karl-Anthony Towns joined Mitch and Indiana had really nothing to combat them. A Mitch alley oop slam tied the game 33-33 early in the 2nd.

Then KAT made 2 free throws off a drive inside, and hit a 3 next time down and NY had a 38-33 lead.

4. Knicks by 3 at the Half

But then Ben Sheppard hit a 3, and Pascal Siakam continued to get buckets, and Indiana stayed with the Knicks no matter what the Knicks did with their intense defense.

Josh Hart free throws gave the Knicks a 3-pt lead at the half.

5. Bridges Came on in 2nd Half

Mikal Bridges came on in the 2nd half for the Knicks, giving them that extra edge on offense — to go along with KAT and Brunson — and it looked like he could be the difference in the Knicks getting some separation in the score.

But Tyrese Halliburton — who had a poor 1st half — started cooking and Indiana had another offensive weapon besides Siakam.

6. Razor-Tight Game Throughout

It was a razor tight game throughout — the two teams locked within 3 points of each other seemingly throughout.

7. Knicks D Not as Good with KAT & Brunson on Court

Indiana was able to attack NY when KAT and Brunson were on the court at the same time. NY just couldn’t get stops.

KAT finished with a -20 despite scoring 20 pts, albiet on not great 6-20 shooting (2-5 from 3) with 7 rebounds in 28 minutes.

Thibs played Mitchell Robinson more at center; Mitch finished with 29 minutes, and had 6 pts and 9 rebounds and a +6. Indiana employed hack-a-Mitch twice in the game; Mitch went 1-2 both times to finish 2-4 in free throws.

8. Indiana & Siakam Take It in 4th

The game was 81-81 to start the 4th.

  • But TJ McConnell got a bucket to start the period, then Myles Turner got a dunk-and-1, and then Turner hit 14-footer to respond to a Bridges bucket.
  • A Ben Sheppard 3 put Indiana up by 6.
  • A Pascal Siakam 3 put Indiana up by 9 with 9 minutes left.

Mikal Bridges kept getting buckets for NY, but NY couldn’t get stops.

  • Aaron Nesmith broke loose for a 3 to put Indiana up 9. Brunson answered with a 3, and Bridges hit a deuce to pull NY back within 3.
  • But Turner got loose again for a free throw off a drive, a bucket inside, and then a 3.
  • NY was down 4 when Haliburton hit a 3 and it was 106-99 Indiana with 4:06 left.
  • Siakam hit free throws, and then a deuce with 2:45 left and Indiana was up 110-100 and the game was seemingly over.

But NY would not die.

The Knicks finally got stops. OG hit a free throw, Brunson hit a 3, Brunson hit a floater, and Hart made a drive and NY was down 110-109 with 14 seconds left.

NY purposely fouled Nesmith to stop the clock. He made both free throws and NY came down without a time out — Brunson took a 3 from straight-away with 8 seconds left — and the ball rimmed out.

NY was forced to foul, and Myles Turner hit both free throws for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401772990

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/a-jumpshot-away-indiana-114-ny-109/feed/ 0 Nesmith 3-Pt Barrage Stuns Knicks in Final 3 Minutes. Indiana 138 NY 135 in OT https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/nesmith-3-pt-barrage-stuns-knicks-in-final-3-minutes-indiana-138-ny-135-in-ot/ https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/nesmith-3-pt-barrage-stuns-knicks-in-final-3-minutes-indiana-138-ny-135-in-ot/#respond Fri, 23 May 2025 20:17:55 +0000 https://www.knicks.city/?p=7135 The game was a Knick win — NY leading by 15 pts with 5 minutes left, and by 14 pts with 3:14 left. And then it wasn’t. Aaron Nesmith went 6 for 6 from 3 [...]

The post Nesmith 3-Pt Barrage Stuns Knicks in Final 3 Minutes. Indiana 138 NY 135 in OT appeared first on Knicks.City.

]]> The game was a Knick win — NY leading by 15 pts with 5 minutes left, and by 14 pts with 3:14 left.

And then it wasn’t.

Aaron Nesmith went 6 for 6 from 3 in the final 4:45 — including 5 of 5 from 3 in the final 3:14 to help Indiana STUN the Knicks in Overtime, 138-135 on a Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden — game 1 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference finals.

Tyrese Haliburton tied the game in regulation on a shot from the top of the key that bounced up and out, went 8 feet high, then dropped in again — as he made the Choke signal with his hands around the throat the way Reggie Miller once did in the 90’s.

Dogfight in OT

Overtime was a dogfight — with NY taking a 135-134 lead with 35 seconds left on a Jalen Brunson floater.

But Andrew Nembhard scored on a drive to put Indiana ahead with 26 seconds left, and then Indiana forced a turnover on the inbounds, and Obi Toppin dunked to put Indiana up 3 with 15 seconds left.

A Jalen Brunson 3 and then a KAT 3 to try and tie it both rimmed out, and Indiana had the stunning win.

Nesmith finished with 30 pts on 9-13 shooting — 8-9 from 3. Haliburton finished with 31 pts on 12-23 shooting (4-12 from 3). Brunson had 43 pts on 15-25 shooting (1-6 from 3). KAT had 35 pts on 11-17 shooting (4-8 from 3).

Knick Reaction

“There’s obviously disappointment when you fall short,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards. “We have to look at the film; make our corrections and we have to change quickly for game 2; we have to be ready for game 2. That’s all you look at. You have to take disappointment and turn that to more determination.”

“We didn’t close the game out,” said Josh Hart afterwards. “We started playing slower; playing more into their hands. We let that one slip. Now we got to make sure tomorrow we win it. We have to look (at the film) and see where we could have been better. And be right back Friday.”

Nesmith

Nesmith’s shooting was no surprise to NBA Analyst Ross Kreines, who noted “Tweeted this back in 2020 below on Aaron Nesmith but what also keeps him on the floor is his heart, toughness and willingness to do the little things.”

Kreines referring to a tweet from November 2020, where he said of Nesmith: “Aaron Nesmith can really shoot the ball along with his ability to take his man off the bounce which opens up his jumper more. Also, knows how to move off the ball, use screens, jab steps, step-backs to create space along with good size, athleticism and defends.”

Boy can he shoot the ball.

Indiana leads the series 1-0 with game 2 Friday night at MSG.

1. Indiana Came out Hitting Every Shot they Took

The Pacers came out hitting every shot they took — literally. They hit their first 9 shots — an Andrew Nembhard 3 pointer, Myles Turner jumper, Aaron Nesmith pullup, Tyrese Haliburton jumper, Turner 20-footer, Nesmith 3, Pascal Siamam dunk, Turner jumper, and Turner dunk — before Nembhard missed a 3.

2. Knicks Counter — Take 36-34 Lead After 1

Meanwhile the Knicks were hitting most every shot they took too — and were down only 20-16.

And the Knicks kept coming — with Jalen Brunson in attack mode, and Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns doing a lot of scoring as well.

Mitchell Robinson entered the game with 5:17 left in the 1st quarter, with NY down 24-20 — and beasted on defense and the boards. He immediately grabbed 2 offensive rebounds, and blocked a Haliburton 3-pointer.

A Mitch Robinson offensive rebound with 2:38 left and feed to Miles McBride for a 3 pulled NY to within 29-25. A Mitchell Robinson alley oop slam off a Brunson assist tied the game 32-32.

Pain-in-the-ass T.J. McConnell came in for Indiana and upped the tempo immediately — penetrating on a drive to put Indiana up, but Brunson countered with a drive against McConnell. NY took a 36-34 lead after 1.

3. KAT & Brunson Lead Knicks to 7-Pt Lead at Half

T.J. McConnell continued to pester early in the 2nd quarter, and Bennedict Mathurin was getting buckets and/or free throws. But Cameron Payne countered with a couple of big 3’s — the later one putting NY up 51-46.

KAT started to dominate inside and out — finally hitting 3’s for the first time in a while; he had not taken many 3’s in the prior series against Boston — possibly due to an injured ring finger on his shooting hand, for which he’s been wearing a cast.

Aaron Nesmith, Tyrese Haliburton, and Andrew Nembhard kept scoring for Indiana, but KAT and Brunson answered — and NY had a 69-62 lead at the half.

4. Brunson-Haliburton Firefight in 3rd

The 3rd quarter was a dog fight — the Knicks maintaining a slight lead throughout but Indiana pulling to within 2 numerous times.

Haliburton was scoring on drives or free throws off drives, or 3’s. Jalen Brunson was going right back at him.

A T.J. McConnell drive with 6 seconds left pulled Indiana to within 90-87.

5. OG & KAT Lead Knicks to 16-Pt Lead in 4th

Indiana pulled to within 1 point several times early in the 4th, but Brunson kept coming.

And then OG Anunoby woke up. He was having a quiet scoring night — playing great D against Pascal Siakam — when he hit a 3 with 9:46 left to put NY up 97-92.

OG hit an 8-footer next time down for a 99-92 Knick lead.

The Knicks were applying an intense defense, forcing Indiana misses. KAT was RIPPING down rebounds, as was Mitchell Robinson.

KAT free throws put the Knicks up 12; a KAT jumper put the Knicks up 14 with 8 minutes left.

An OG bucket inside put NY up by 16 at 108-92 with 7:24 left.

A KAT 3 put NY up by 17 pts — 111-94 — with 6:26 left. The Knicks were going to win this.

Indiana rallied for a couple of buckets by Nembhard and Siakam, but Mikal Bridges answered and NY was up 113-98 with 4:45 left.

6. Nesmith 3-Pt BARRAGE Starts with 4:45 Left

And that’s when the Nesmith barrage began.

He just couldn’t miss.

He would come down and hoist up another 3 — and hit. And then again. And then again.

In between all that, Haliburton hoisted up a 3 and hit.

The Knicks were getting buckets on the other end, but the Indiana 3’s kept slicing the lead.

7. Haliburton Ties It — Makes “Choke” Sign

It still looked like the Knicks would win when KAT went to the free throw line with 14 seconds left and NY up by 2. He hit the first free throw, but missed the 2nd.

Nesmith was purposely fouled and made 2 free throws to make it a 1-pt game.

OG was fouled — and made 1 of 2 free throws — and Indiana came down with 7 seconds left, NY leading by 2.

Tyrese Halliburton drove the lane — was forced back by Knick defense — ran out to the 3-pt lead and tossed up a shot — and missed as the buzzer sounded — the ball bounding high in the air — and then it came down and went in. As Haliburton made the “choke” sign.

Haliburton’s foot was judged to be on the line — so it was a tie game.

8. Knicks Lead 135-134 with 35 Seconds Left in OT

The Knicks came right back in OT — KAT scoring inside and then an OG bucket gave them a 4-pt lead.

But Indiana came back and the game went back and forth.

A Brunson floater gave NY a 135-134 lead with 35 seconds left.

9. Nembhard & Obi Win It

But Nembhard scored on a drive out of a time out, and then the Knicks lost the ball on the inbounds — the call made on a challenge. Indiana inbounded and Obi broke free for a dunk.

With 15 seconds left the Knicks inbounded after a time out, but Brunson missed a 3 with 10 seconds left — Josh Hart grabbing the offensive rebound and feeding KAT — but he missed a 3 and that was it.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401772989

The post Nesmith 3-Pt Barrage Stuns Knicks in Final 3 Minutes. Indiana 138 NY 135 in OT appeared first on Knicks.City.

]]> https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/nesmith-3-pt-barrage-stuns-knicks-in-final-3-minutes-indiana-138-ny-135-in-ot/feed/ 0 Knicks CRUSH Celtics & Advance to Eastern Finals. NY 119 Boston 81 https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/knicks-crush-celtics-advance-to-eastern-finals-ny-119-boston-81/ https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/knicks-crush-celtics-advance-to-eastern-finals-ny-119-boston-81/#respond Sat, 17 May 2025 14:42:04 +0000 https://www.knicks.city/?p=7127 The Knicks CRUSHED the Celtics from start to finish — playing 48 minutes of intense defense and aggressive, team-oriented offense — to win in a romp, 119-81, and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with [...]

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]]> The Knicks CRUSHED the Celtics from start to finish — playing 48 minutes of intense defense and aggressive, team-oriented offense — to win in a romp, 119-81, and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 4-games-to-2 series victory.

At an ELECTRIC and LOUD Madison Square Garden on a Friday night.

Every Knick was on his game. NY came at Boston from every angle, with each Knick contributing their forte:

  • OG was hitting 3’s from the corner off the pass, and driving to the bucket when the opportunity was there.
  • Karl-Anthony Towns was powering to the basket for efficient buckets, taking no prisoner.
  • Mikal Bridges was hitting 3’s and snipping pullup J’s off drives into the lane like a Messerschmidt.
  • Jalen Brunson was Brunson — the heart of the team — scoring on drives and hitting 3’s at key points to keep fueling the Knick momentum.
  • Josh Hart was hitting his jumper and attacking the rim on the break for drives.
  • Miles McBride was hitting 3’s and taking it inside.
  • Mitchell Robinson was ripping down offensive rebounds to give Knicks 2nd opportunities.

The final scoring totals were as distributed as imaginable: Brunson had 23 pts; OG had 23 pts; Bridges had 22 pts; KAT had 21 pts; Hart had a triple double of 10 pts, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.

And the Knicks Defense was Intense and non stop. One one play Mitchell Robinson suffocated the entire Boston team — guarding one guy at the 3, switching to cut off another guy, then speeding to the other side of the court to suffocate an open Jaylen Brown in the corner and steal the ball from him.

Afterwards, there was intense jubulation by fans outside Madison Square Garden, but inside the Knicks players did not celebrate. To a man they said there is a lot of work to do.

“We knew we would have to play 48 minutes against them,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards about Boston. “They’re terrific on both sides of the ball. They play their style no matter what. They’re not going to hand you anything; you have to earn it and I felt that we did that.”

Next up: Game 1 against Indiana, starting Wednesday at MSG.

1. NY Comes Out with Aggression; Leads by 6 After 1

The Knicks were dead serious from the start, coming out with aggression on Defense and Offense. Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and OG Anunoby attacked and scored efficiently from the get-go.

A Bridges tip-in followed by a Bridges 3 put NY up 11-5.

NY was up 13-9 when Mitchell Robinson came in for KAT with 4:39 in the 1st. Boston immediately fouled Mitch despite the fact that Robinson was 6-6 from the line the prior game. Mitch missed the first free throw but hit the 2nd and NY was up 14-10.

NY immediately put KAT back in for Mitch.

And KAT immediately hit a bucket inside, but Kristaps Porzingis answered with a 3 to tie the game 16-all. It would be the last time the Knicks were not leading.

OG Anunoby slammed inside off a Brunson assists, and KAT and Bridges hit back-to-back 3’s and NY was out to a 24-16 lead.

A Jaylen Brown floater pulled Boston to within 26-20 at the end of 1 quarter. It would be the last hurrah for the Celtics.

2. Knicks Pour It in 2nd Quarter to Take 27-Pt Halftime Lead

Mitchell Robinson came back in the game in the final seconds of the 1st and helped provide a wall of defense to start the 2nd quarter, and NY went on a 16-4 run, started by a Miles McBride 3.

NY was up 31-20 when Mitchell Robinson made the defensive play of the night mentioned above.

Brunson wasn’t even on the court.ย Bridges was hitting deuces, Towns was scoring on drives, OG was hitting 3’s, and McBride was adding buckets.

Brunson re-entered with 7 minutes left in the quarter and NY up 38-24, and he immediately started cooking — hitting a drive and then feeding Josh Hart for a drive.

McBride made the block of the game — and Hart hit a drive-and-1 down the other end for a 47-27 Knick lead. The rout was on.

“Tweeted this below back in 2020 on Josh Hart,” tweeted NBA Analyst Ross Kreines. “Notice how 50/50 balls become 20/80 when youโ€™re talking about Josh Hart or how he out rebounds you on the glass because he wants it more or how he finds the open man because itโ€™s the right play? Josh Hart truly plays for name in front.”

NY continued to attack from everywhere — a McBride drive, a KAT drive-and-1, a Brunson 3 followed by a McBride 3 and NY was up 64-37 at the half.

3. Knicks Keep Coming in 3rd to Up Lead to 41

NY did not let up in the 3rd — in fact they amplified their intensity, showing a killer instinct to put Boston away.

OG, Bridges, Brunson, KAT, and Towns continued to do their thing — taking it to the rim, hitting deuces in the lane, and nailing off-the-pass 3’s.

A KAT drive-and-1 put NY up 80-43.

An OG 3 put NY up 92-51 — a 41-pt Knick lead — with 1:51 left in the 3rd as The Garden exploded.

Amidst it all was a hounding Knick defense, with proper switching, that caused Boston to miss and miss and miss contested 3’s.

Jaylen Brown was playing frenetically on defense — edging on dangerously the way Joel Embiid played in last year’s playoffs against the Knicks when he injured Mitchell Robinson’s ankle. Brown picked up his 6th foul with 2:33 left in the 3rd with NY up by 33.

4. Boston’s Last Attempt

Boston gave it their last effort — Payton Pritchard rallied for 3 straight buckets in the final minute of the 3rd to bring Boston to within 35 pts — at 92-57 — entering the 4th. Torrey Craig hit a 3 to start the 4th, and Baylor Scheierman followed with a drive to pull Boston within 30.

5. NY Leads by 30+ throughout 4th

But Brunson answered with a drive, Hart hit 2 free throws off a drive and Bridges hit a 3 and NY was back up by 37.

A Scheierman 3 was answered by a Bridges deuce; a Pritchard 3 was answered by a Brunson 3 off a Mitchell Robinson offensive rebound and NY was up 104-68 with 8:24 left.

Pritchard and Sam Houser continued to do their best to get Boston back to a respectable score but the Knicks continued to have answers, with Thibs managing with concern from the sidelines like it was a tight game.

Precious Achiuwa entered the game with 8 minutes left, and NY up by 36.

Boston waived the white flag with 5:37 left, down 110-76 — taking Pritchard and Houser out for the 3rd team.

6. Knicks Took Care of All Business

The Knicks took care of all business — as Al Pacino said at the end of The Godfather.

  • Derrick White was 3-11 (2-8 from 3) for 8 pts and was a -45.
  • Jrue Holliday was 1-8 (0-2 from 3) for 2 pts and was a non factor.
  • Jaylen Brown — giving his all but at time playing a bit recklessly — had 20 pts but fouled out in the 3rd (see above) and was a -30.
  • Luke Kornet — a hero of Game 5 with 7 blocks — was limited to 5 pts, 5 rebounds, and 1 block in 21 minutes as the starting center.

Kristaps Porzingis, sadly, was still playing under some sort of undiagnosed illness and was a shell of himself — 4 pts on 1-4 shooting in 11 minutes. “I tried to give what I could, which obviously wasnโ€™t much,” he said afterwards. “The support from the Knicks fans was through the roof tonight and all throughout the playoffs. Unbelievable fans, unbelievable city and there’s a side of me that’s very very happy for them.”

Etcetera

ALL the Knick legends were on the sidelines watching — something the Knicks do that no other team in sports does. It adds to the Amazing MSG atmosphere. Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Stephon Marbury, Latrell Sprewell, Larry Johnson, Marcus Camby and on and on — and amazing assemblage of Knick heros.

And outside afterwards, 7th Avenue Was LIT for hours.

One Knick fan interviewed analyst Brian Windhorst, who predicted the Celtics would win the series even when NY was up 3-1, and has constantly derided the Knicks through the years.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401769751

 

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/knicks-crush-celtics-advance-to-eastern-finals-ny-119-boston-81/feed/ 0 Celtics (and NBA Refs?) Crush Knicks in 2nd Half. Boston 127 NY 102 https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/celtics-and-nba-refs-crush-knicks-in-2nd-half-boston-127-ny-102/ https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/celtics-and-nba-refs-crush-knicks-in-2nd-half-boston-127-ny-102/#respond Fri, 16 May 2025 13:38:43 +0000 https://www.knicks.city/?p=7116 The Knicks looked like they were taking control of the game in the 2nd quarter — up by 8 points — when they got sloppy and then got hit with ticky-tack foul after ticky-tack foul [...]

The post Celtics (and NBA Refs?) Crush Knicks in 2nd Half. Boston 127 NY 102 appeared first on Knicks.City.

]]> The Knicks looked like they were taking control of the game in the 2nd quarter — up by 8 points — when they got sloppy and then got hit with ticky-tack foul after ticky-tack foul — putting first Karl-Anthony Towns and then Jalen Brunson in foul trouble.

Meanwhile the Celtics upped their aggressiveness in the 2nd half — and the refs “let ’em play” on that side of the court. Then Boston started hitting their 3, and pulled out to a 15-pt at the end of the 3rd, and 20-pt lead early in the 4th that the Knicks could not dent.

The score was tied at the half, but Brunson picked up 3 ticky-tack fouls in just over a minute at the start of the 3rd quarter. It was almost as if the NBA refs wanted him out of the game. Brunson fouled out of the game with 7 minutes left in the 4th.

Jaylen Brown especially was baiting Knicks for fouls, and getting them. On one play he drove into Karl-Anthony Towns, and grabbed Towns’ jersey while falling to the floor as KAT kept his hands to his side. Foul on KAT.

Some fans speculated the NBA wanted to make sure there was at least a Game 6 in this series on Friday night, as there are no other NBA games planned for that day. A game 6 at Madison Square Garden would make a lot of money for all involved, let alone a game 7 in Boston.

This coming only days after the NBA faced allegations from all over of fixing the NBA draft that miraculously gave Dallas — who traded away Luka Doncic this winter — the #1 pick in the draft.

Afterwards however, Tom Thibodeau and the Knick players did not fault the refs — rather they said it was their failure to match Boston’s aggressiveness that caused the loss.

“We didn’t play for 48 minutes,” said coach Thibodeau. “At the start of the 2nd quarter we didn’t play well — we had the lead; we didn’t play tough with the lead. We came out to start the 3rd, didn’t play well there. Can’t afford to do that.”

“They came out with a sense of urgency that we need,” said Brunson afterwards about how Boston came out in the 3rd quarter. About the 5 fouls he picked up in the quarter, Brunson said “I’m not even going to say anything; I’m sorry.”

Game 6 Friday night at Madison Square Garden, NY leading the series 3-2.

1. White & Brown Pick Up for Tatum

Boston was coming off the horrific loss of Jayson Tatum, out for the series and the season after the tear of his achilles at the end of game 5.

Derrick White came out firing 3’s — and hitting 5 (five) 3-pointers in the 1st quarter, plus a drive for 17 points in the period.

Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchett, and Luke Kornet also hit 3’s — and yet the Knicks were still up 32-30 entering the 2nd quarter.

Brown Slashes Hart’s Face — Spurting Blood

Brown was playing an aggressive game on offense on defense — and in the 1st quarter accidentally elbowed Josh Hart in the face on a drive, causing blood to spurt all over Hart’s face. Hart went out, got bandaged up above his eye, changed his clothes and came back in later on.

2. Mitch Goes 6-6 in Free Throws!!

Boston deployed Hack-A-Mitch strategy early as soon as Mitchell Robinson came into the game with 3:30 left in the 1st quarter, and Mitch proceeded to go 4-4 from the line in the period.

Mitch was fouled later in the 3rd and went 2-2 to finish 6-6 from the free throw line in the game!

3. Knicks Lead by 8 in 2nd

The Knicks continued to forge ahead in the 2nd quarter — going up by 8 points at 40-32 after a Miles McBride 3.

Josh Hart was hitting his jumper and his 3, and KAT and Mitchell Robinson were having their way inside.

4. Knicks in Foul Trouble

But KAT picked up his 2nd and 3rd foul early in the period on ticky-tack fouls — and had to leave with 9:49 left in the period. He wouldn’t come back until the 3rd.

5. Brown & Boston More Aggressive

Boston amped up their aggressiveness, and got back into the game. Jaylen Brown raised his game — taking it to the basket and hitting 3’s, and playing an aggressive brand of defense on Jalen Brunson.

Al Horford hit a bucket inside and a 3, and then Payton Pritchard started hitting 3’s as Boston tied the game and dueled the Knicks back and forth to the half. The score was 59-59 at intermission.

6. Brunson 3 Fouls in 2 Minutes to Start 3rd

Jaylen Brown was not only being aggressive, he was foul-baiting — driving against KAT or Brunson and looking to draw a foul. Brunson was called for 3 ticky-tack fouls within a 2-minute period to start the 3rd quarter, and had to play carefully.

Brown drew a 4th foul on KAT less than a minute later — with 8:40 left in the 3rd — driving into KAT, grabbing his jersey, and falling down as KAT had his hands at his side. Foul KAT.

Brunson stayed in the game with 3 fouls — but picked up his 4th with 3:17 left in the quarter and his 5th foul with 2:45 left in the quarter, and Boston up 87-76.

7. Boston Takes Command in 3rd

Derrick White hit a 3, then hit 3 free throws after being fouled taking a 3, Payton Pritchard hit a 3, and Sam Houser hit a 3 as Boston took a 14-pt lead in the 3rd quarter.

8. Kornet Destroys Knicks — 7 Blocks

Former Knick 7-footer Luke Kornet rose up to destroy the Knicks with inside play — taking over the game by blocking 4 shots in the 3rd quarter, grabbing an offensive rebound and putting the ball back in, and finishing the period with a Slam to put Boston up by 15, 91-76, entering the 4th.

He continued his inspired play in the 4th — blocking a Josh Hart 3, then alley-oop slamming off a Brown pass for a 25-pt Boston lead — 110-85.

“Luke Kornet was tremendous by simply bringing big time effort, activity, his motor along with running the floor hard,” noted NBA Analyst Ross Kreines. “Active on the glass, challenging everything at the rim on one end and finishing at the rim on other end while taking no play for granted and willing to do more.”

White was hitting 3’s, Brown was hitting 3’s — the game got away from the Knicks.

9. Brunson Fouls Out

To add insult to injury, Brunson fouled out with 7:19 left in the game and NY down by 20. There would be no miraculous Knick comeback in this game.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401769750

The post Celtics (and NBA Refs?) Crush Knicks in 2nd Half. Boston 127 NY 102 appeared first on Knicks.City.

]]> https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/celtics-and-nba-refs-crush-knicks-in-2nd-half-boston-127-ny-102/feed/ 0 Brunson & Knicks Surge in 2nd Half to Take 3-1 Game Lead. NY 121 Boston 113 https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/brunson-knicks-surge-in-2nd-half-to-take-3-1-game-lead-ny-121-boston-113/ https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/brunson-knicks-surge-in-2nd-half-to-take-3-1-game-lead-ny-121-boston-113/#respond Tue, 13 May 2025 13:32:46 +0000 https://www.knicks.city/?p=7107 Jalen Brunson scored 39 points in a legendary performance, leading the Knicks who came out with intensity in the 2nd half to erase a 14-pt deficit and win going away, 121-113 at a frenetic Madison [...]

The post Brunson & Knicks Surge in 2nd Half to Take 3-1 Game Lead. NY 121 Boston 113 appeared first on Knicks.City.

]]> Jalen Brunson scored 39 points in a legendary performance, leading the Knicks who came out with intensity in the 2nd half to erase a 14-pt deficit and win going away, 121-113 at a frenetic Madison Square Garden on a Monday night — taking a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 game series.

The game was marred with 3 minutes left when Jayson Tatum went down with a non-contact injury — possibly a torn achilles– and was carried off the court. Tatum was trying to switch direction and catch a pass from Jaylen Brown that OG Anunoby intercepted for a full court slam and Knick 9-pt lead.

Tatum also had a legendary performance with 42 pts, hitting 3’s from the logo — he and Brunson went tet-a-tet in the 3rd quarter, Brunson winning the duel — scoring 18 pts in the period — to lead NY to a 3-pt lead entering the 4th.

All the Knicks were on their game: Mikal Bridges was an assassin with 23 pts, most of them deuces after slick moves into the paint; OG Anunoby had 20 pts including 4-8 from 3; Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 pts on 11-15 shooting and 11 rebounds; Josh Hart did the dirty work with 5 pts, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists; Mitchell Robinson was stellar inside — 8 rebounds — 5 offensive — and 4 pts on slams in 25 minutes of big body defense; and Miles McBride played 20 tough minutes, with 6 pts on 2-3 shooting from 3.

“They hit us early, and obviously we got in a hole,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards. “But I loved the way we fought back. Showed a lot of toughness and more discipline in the 2nd half. Timely plays; everyone working together on both ends of the floor. It starts with your defense, and you have to have a lot of toughness, and then you have to do what you have to do to win — and I thought the guys did that.”

1. Boston Jumps Out to 16-6 Lead; Knicks Punch Back

The Knicks came out with aggression, looking to make amends for the shellacking they took at the hands of the Celtics at Madison Square Garden in Game 3.

But Derrick White hit 3 (three) 3’s in the first 3 minutes and then Jaylen Brown hit a 3 and Boston was up 16-6 anyway.

The Knicks fought back — Mikal Bridges hit a 3, then a deuce, Brunson hit a 3, and OG hit a 3 for 11 consecutive NY points a 17-16 Knick lead with 5:21 left in the 1st quarter.

2. Tatum Hitting 3’s from Logo

But Derrick White answered with ANOTHER 3, and the two teams went back and forth.

KAT hit a drive off a Mitchell Robinson pass and NY had a 26-25 lead; Tatum answered with a pullup to give Boston the lead; Brunson answered with a floater and NY had a 28-27 lead with 1:31 left in the 1st.

Then Jayson Tatum got Red Hot — hitting 3 (three) 3’s — some near the logo — sandwiching a 3 by Payton Pritchard and Boston rang up an 11-pt lead at 39-28 entering the 2nd.

3. Knicks Punch Back Again in 2nd

But the Knicks kept fighting — KAT scored inside off a Bridges assist, McBride hit a 3, and KAT scored inside again for 7 straight Knick points to begin the 2nd quarter, pulling them to within 4 at 39-35.

Mitchell Robinson was beasting inside on the offensive glass, giving the Knicks 2nd opportunites. On one play, he grabbed two offensive rebounds — the 2nd resulting in a Deuce McBride 3.

4. Boston Up 11 at Half

Boston flurried back to take a 12-pt lead; the Knicks punched back to pull within 48-44 on a KAT drive.

But Tatum hit another 3, and buckets by Jaylen Brown and Porzingis and free throws by White put Boston back up by 13 at 60-47.

The Knicks hung tough in the final minute of the half — Brunson free throws pulled NY to within 62-51.

5. Brunson vs Tatum Epic 3rd Quarter

And then came the epic 3rd quarter.

Bridges and KAT scored for NY early in the quarter — KAT with a drive-and-1 and a dunk. But Tatum hit another 3 from the logo and Derrick White followed with a 3 and Boston was up 14 at 72-58.

The Knicks kept coming.

Brunson hit a 3. The Knicks got a stop. Brunson hit a drive. Tatum missed a 3. Jaylen Brown was called for a flagrant foul on Brunson — getting under his landing feet — and Brunson made 2 of 3 free throws to pull NY within 72-65.

Bridges hit a deuce.

Derrick White hit a 3 and Tatum dunked for a 77-67 Celtic lead.

But the Knicks kept coming.

  • Brunson hit a drive and KAT scored inside. Boston 77 NY 71.

And then Tatum and Brunson went back and forth:

  • Tatum hit a J.
  • Brunson hit a 3.
  • Tatum hit a driving layup.
  • Brunson fed KAT for a 15-footer.
  • Tatum hit a 15 footer.
  • Brunson hit a drive off an offensive rebound.

  • Brunson hit an 11-footer after a Hart free throw and NY was within 83-81.

  • Brunson hit a 13-footer to tie the game 83-83 with 1:07 left in the quarter.
  • Tatum hit 2 free throws.
  • Brunson fed OG for a 3 and NY had an 86-85 lead.
  • A Josh Hart drive with 3 seconds left gave NY an 88-85 lead entering the 4th.

6. Knicks Take It in 4th

And then Mikal Bridges took over the Knick offense at the start of the 4th.

He made 2 jumpers in the lane early in the quarter, then fed KAT for a drive and NY was up 94-89.

  • A Tatum drive and Kristaps Porzingis free throws pulled Boston within a point.
  • But Bridges hit another pullup in the lane.
  • Tatum hit two 3’s to put Boston up 99-98 with 7:17 left.

  • But Bridges hit a 16 footer to put NY up 100-99.

OG then stepped up:

  • OG hit a drive but a Tatum drive-and-1 tied the game 102-102 with 6 minutes left.
  • OG hit a huge 3 to put NY up, but a Jrue Holliday drive made it 105-104 NY with 5:22 left.

In the final minutes, Brunson took over again.

  • A Brunson drive put NY up 3, and a Brunson pullup put NY up 109-104.
  • Brunson fed Bridges for a pullup and NY was up 111-104 with 3:22 left.

Boston timeout.

7. Tatum Injured with 3 Minutes Left

Out of the timeout, Bridges hounded Jaylen Brown into a bad pass to Tatum and OG intercepted for a runaway slam and ballgame — 113-104 NY with 3:03 left as Tatum fell to the ground in excruciating pain.

8. Knicks Finish It

After a long injury timeout, Tatum was helped off the court and put in a wheelchair.

Jaylen Brown missed a 3, Brunson hit a 3 and NY had the game — 116-104 with 2:25 left.

In the final 2 minutes, Payton Pritchard furiously made some buckets to attempt to bring Boston back, but NY had answers for the ballgame.

9. Brunson Clinic

It was a team win that ended on a horrible note with the Jayson Tatum injury — but the Brunson-Tatum duel will go down as an epic battle — with Brunson engineering the win.

As NBA Analyst Ross Kreines summed up, “Jalen Brunson dictates where he wants to go and how he will beat you whether attacking his defenders top foot, keeping his defender on hip to hit floater, finishing in lane, creating contact, backing his defender down and schooling them while using fundamentals and finding open man.”

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401769749

The post Brunson & Knicks Surge in 2nd Half to Take 3-1 Game Lead. NY 121 Boston 113 appeared first on Knicks.City.

]]> https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/brunson-knicks-surge-in-2nd-half-to-take-3-1-game-lead-ny-121-boston-113/feed/ 0 Knicks Get Blitzed in Game 3. Boston 115 NY 93 https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/knicks-get-blitzed-in-game-3-boston-115-ny-93/ https://www.knicks.city/2024-25/knicks-get-blitzed-in-game-3-boston-115-ny-93/#respond Sun, 11 May 2025 16:16:23 +0000 https://www.knicks.city/?p=7104 Boston came out and BLITZED the Knicks start to finish on a Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden to win game 3 in this best-of-seven series, 115-93. The Celtics came out with energy and put [...]

The post Knicks Get Blitzed in Game 3. Boston 115 NY 93 appeared first on Knicks.City.

]]> Boston came out and BLITZED the Knicks start to finish on a Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden to win game 3 in this best-of-seven series, 115-93.

The Celtics came out with energy and put the Knicks in a quick hole, and then started hitting 3 after 3 in rhythm. Boston went 20-40 from 3, while the Knicks couldn’t hit a 3 to save their life, going 5-25.

Karl-Anthony Towns (1-4), OG Anunoby (0-2), Mikal Bridges (0-2), and Josh Hart (0-3) were a combined 1-12 from 3.

Boston led by 16 pts at the end of the 1st quarter (36-20), by 25 pts at the half (71-46), by 31 pts late in the 3rd, and by 26 pts entering the 4th (96-70). Boston led by 20 or more throughout the 4th quarter.

Wipe out.

“They got the lead early,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards. “I thought we missed some shots early that impacted us; they got confidence early in the game.”

“Obviously we have to be better,” expanded Thibs. “They got some clean looks early. They see it go in; that gives them confidence, then it’s hard to shut them off. We have to have greater awareness. We can’t allow missed shots to take away from defensive tenacity. We got to bounce back.”

The Knicks still lead the best-of-7 series 2 games to 1 with the next game set for Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

1. Boston Jumps Out to 16-Pt Lead in 1st Quarter

It was a 7-6 game Boston after KAT free throws and a 3, when Jaylen Brown answered with a 3, KAT missed a shot, and Jayson Tatum hit a 3, and Boston was up 13-6.

Boston was up 17-9 with 5:45 left in the 1st quarter when Mitchell Robinson entered for KAT. Boston immediately went to hack-a-Mitch, and Robinson went 0-4 in two different trips to the line at the end of the quarter.

Meanwhile, Derrick White hit a 3 and Boston went up 20-10, Tatum hit a 3 to put Boston up 27-12.

Kristaps Porzingis was active on both ends of the court, getting to the free throw line on offense where he was making his free throws.

Robinson grabbed a few offensive rebounds — sending the ball outside to shooters — but the Knicks kept missing their 3’s.

“The intent was there. But if you miss shots you tend to not have the same type of energy; and there’s a lot of different ways you can help to win a game,” added Thibodeau in the post game. “No one is going to shoot great every night, but do other things to help the team win. That’s basically what we’ve done all year. We fell short today; we have to take a good long look at the film, and get ready for the next game. Because that’s the only thing that is important. The next challenge that you face.”

2. Late 2nd Quarter Run Puts Boston Up 25 at Half

The 2nd quarter was more of the same — as Boston kept hitting 3’s and the Knicks kept missing. Payton Pritchard got into the action and was hitting 3’s off the bench.

Al Horford started at center, and played a great game — 35 minutes with 6-9 shooting (3-5 from 3) for 15 pts and 9 rebounds. Horford was active inside, blocking Knick shots and also hitting 3’s. Porzingis played 19 minutes off the bench and was a +11, although he was 0-3 from the floor but 5-6 in free throws and had 3 blocks.

A Horford bucket inside gave Boston a 44-25 lead, and a Horford rebound and pass to Pritchard for a 3 gave Boston a 22-pt lead.

NY made a run to pull within 17 at 57-40 with 2:55 left in the half after a KAT drive and Brunson 3. Monica McNutt was saying on the radio how if the Knicks could cut the lead a little more before the half, they would be right back in it.

But the opposite happened — Tatum hit a 3, Al Horford hit a 3, Horford blocked an OG Anunoby shot inside, and Jaylen Brown hit a 3 and Boston was up by 25 at the half.

3. Boston Goes Up by 31 Late in 3rd

The 3rd quarter was more of the same. Instead of the Knicks cutting into the lead, Derrick White and Jrue Holliday hit 3’s at the start of the period, then White hit free throws and Boston was up by 31 pts.

The Knicks fought back with an 8-0 run — a Brunson floater, Bridges jumper, Josh Hart dunk, Bridges J, Anunoby dunk and Bridges jumper pulled NY within 25.

But an Al Horford dunk off a Brown assist put Boston up 87-60.

“Watch Al Horford play and see how he does everything with a purpose but also itโ€™s all about winning,” noted NBA Analyst Ross Kreines. “Watch how he not only defends with a purpose but communicates with a purpose, he helps with a purpose along with rebounding, setting screens to create space for others and competes.”

Boston had an answer for the Knicks all quarter and maintained a lead in the mid 20’s.

4. Garden Crowd Left to Cheer Mitch Robinson Free Throws

Mitchell Robinson’s free throw shooting became a side story in the game — with the Garden roaring every time he hit one.

Mitch went 2-2 from the line with 2:34 left in the 3rd, and the Knicks down by 29 pts. The Garden roared.

Robinson dunked the next time down off a Brunson assist, and then Brunson made a drive, and Robinson hit 1 of 2 free throws as NY pulled to within 26 at end of the 3rd.

5. Knicks Stage Halted Comeback to Start 4th

Jalen Brunson hit a 3 to start the 4th to pull NY within 23 and then Miles McBride and Brunson made back-to-back 3’s to pull NY within 20 at 99-79 — Boston Timeout — with the Garden rocking hoping for some kind of crazy comeback.

But the comeback was halted there. Porzingis hit a free throw out of a timeout, Pritchard hit a J, and Horford answered a Bridges jumper with a bucket inside and Boston was up 23 again with 7:46 left.

KAT kept driving inside and getting snuffed by Horford and Porzingis — seemingly fouled but no foul called.

NY could not dent Boston’s lead.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401769748

The post Knicks Get Blitzed in Game 3. Boston 115 NY 93 appeared first on Knicks.City.

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