BOSTON - The Celtics cruised midway through the third quarter and looked like defending champions as they built a huge lead. But the Knicks shocked the Celtics in a 108-105 overtime thriller on Monday at TD Garden. New York stole the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals and also the home advantage of a game, as Celtic fans were confused by what they had just witnessed.
While it was a close game, the Celtics took a 16-point half-time lead with a strong second quarter. This sets the stage for what looks like another blowout victory for Boston, which is often the case in the regular season. Then, midway through the third quarter rose by 20 points as the garden crowd buzzed.
But the Knicks are as resilient as ever, punching backwards and then fighting against the defending champions. Not only did they erase the 20-point lead, but Jalen Brunson almost shocked the crowd at the end of the regulation. Instead, competitors are overtime in these latest incredible games in the NBA playoffs.
The Celtics, even if they worked overtime, had no juice for the extra time. They beat 8-5 while the Knicks performed the necessary drama to grab the victory. The Celtics are the first series of the Celtics since the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. Mikal Bridges played the final defensive game to win the Knicks' final blow to cut the Celtics.
Jayson Tatum struggled with his gunshot with 23 points and 16 rebounds on 7 of 23 shots. Jaylen Brown scored 23 points, while Derrick White scored 19 points and 11 rebounds. Brunson scored 29 points, while OG Anunoby's 29 points were huge, despite the Knicks' full production.
The Celtics and the Knicks played Game 2 in the series at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Here are four gains from Boston’s loss to New York:
Another clutch game: The Knicks had to play against the Pistons in multiple close matches in the first round. That's again when the Knicks dragged the Celtics into crunch time on Monday. Both teams did this in terms of regulation and were full of physical blows, as announced before the shot put announcement of overtime. But late at night, the Celtics didn't shoot enough in overtime. When they trailed 1-0 in the series, C could not even shoot the last shot on the buzzer.
Watch 3: It's obvious from Tipoff that the Celtics' enemies are different from the Magic's enemies, which hinder their three-point production. C's Monday shot ended with 60 three-point attempts. But, this is a different story. The Celtics shot just 25% from the field (15-60) behind the arc, which is rare. This is compared to the Knicks' hit rate of 45.9% (17-37) on the 3S, as visitors need to be every Monday. The Celtics' 45 missed 3 seconds, an NBA playoff record.
Popup damage: Kristaps Porzingis was not a Celtics bench for most of the second quarter and expressed doubts about his identity. Once he didn't start the second half, it was obvious that something was wrong. The big man was relegated to suspicious in the injury report as he missed the rest of the game. Porzingis once again struggled in the playoffs, and although he did collect four offensive rebounds, he scored 4-0 from the field without scoring. Sam Hauser was also forced to leave at the end of the third quarter after turning ankle, so that was another issue to monitor the Celtics.
Leaving home court: The Celtics became a heavy favorite, and it was still very early even after this amazing first game loss. But C now loses his home advantage. This is also the first Celtics A playoff series since 2023. They lost the playoff game, including in the 2024 championship game, but they never fell behind or faced the knockout round. So, relatively speaking, this is a new area for C as they hope to rebound in Wednesday's big game 2.