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BOSTON — The New York Knicks have certainly figured out how to break their losing streak.
Having suffered a 0-10 record against the league’s top three teams—Boston, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City—during the regular season, the Knicks finally secured a victory against one of them. They managed an impressive comeback from a 20-point deficit to defeat the Celtics 108-105 in overtime during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night.
OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson both contributed 29 points, with a combined total of 39 in the last 22.5 minutes, helping propel the Knicks to a scoring advantage of 53-30 against the Celtics. Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns delivered crucial shots in overtime, while the Knicks successfully defended against the Celtics, a team that averaged an astounding 130.2 points per 100 possessions in the regular season.
The Celtics had their top six players available—starters plus Al Horford—only for the 19th time out of 88 games this season. However, Kristaps Porziņģis was sidelined due to illness and did not participate in the second half on Monday, and they also lost Sam Hauser to an ankle injury during the third quarter.
Here are some observations, quotes, statistics, and highlights from the Celtics’ initial loss in a playoff series over the past two years…
In the opening round, facing an Orlando defense that was the best at limiting 3-point attempts, the Celtics took only 40% of their shots from beyond the arc—a significant drop from their NBA record of 54% during the regular season.
Now, they are up against a different defensive style, one that allowed them to tie the record for the most 3-pointers made in a single game (29) on opening night. Monday’s game set two new NBA playoff records for Boston: the highest number of 3-point attempts and the most 3-point misses in a playoff game. The Celtics were just 15-for-60 (25%) from long range in Game 1, with those attempts accounting for 62% of their total shots.
Some of those attempts were well-timed, while others were far from ideal.
The Celtics often oscillate between confident and lackluster possessions. They clinched the championship in 2023-24 due to the minimal number of apathetic possessions throughout the postseason. However, Monday’s game saw many more than usual.
The Knicks matched up with two defenders—Brunson and Towns—whom the Celtics targeted to exploit. With Towns grappling with foul trouble, Boston focused its efforts on Brunson during the second quarter, leading to a significant 35-20 scoring advantage and taking control of the matchup. The Celtics struggled from 3-point territory, hitting only 1-of-9, while inside the arc, they shot 12-for-15 and converted 8-of-9 free throws.
In the second half, they made merely seven attempts from 2-point range and shot only six free throws.
Jayson Tatum drained back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the Celtics’ lead to 15 late in the third quarter, but then he became too reliant on his long-range shooting. Shortly thereafter, he created an opportunity in transition against Brunson, yet opted for a long-range shot instead of exploiting a gap in the Knicks’ defense.
As Tatum waited for his shot, Anunoby capitalized with a quick transition dunk…
“When the other team has the momentum, we can’t just settle for 3s,” Jaylen Brown commented. “To disrupt that momentum, we have to get to the free-throw line, penetrate into the paint, or secure an easy two points. Then the next 3-pointer may feel more rewarding. It felt like in the second half, we just settled for shots.”
In a couple of fourth-quarter plays, Brown did drive aggressively early in the shot clock, reaching the free-throw line to help slow down the momentum. However, those instances were infrequent, with Tatum missing crucial step-back 3-point attempts late in the game. Out of his 15 attempts from beyond the arc, 14 were off the dribble.
“For the most part, we created good opportunities throughout the game,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stated. “But you could pinpoint 5-10 situations where we could have improved.”
The Knicks were not just passive observers on defense; their top defenders made significant contributions in Game 1.
Anunoby was assigned as Tatum’s primary defender, often taken off the ball as the Celtics set screens targeting Brunson and Towns. However, midway through the fourth quarter, Towns successfully disrupted Tatum’s drive, allowing Anunoby to recover and deflect Tatum’s pass intended for Al Horford.
Anunoby took control and scored on a fast-break dunk that tied the game…
These transition opportunities became crucial in an otherwise disjointed game where both teams struggled to reach a point per possession. The Knicks gained yet another significant transition moment early in overtime, thanks to Bridges’ defensive effort.
Towns found himself matched up against Brown, who executed a crossover and drove left. Bridges, meanwhile, helped out by swiping at the ball, deflecting it. Though Brown regained possession, when he attempted a pass to Horford, Bridges was there once more to disrupt it, leaping out of bounds to save the ball to Josh Hart…
While the Knicks weren’t pushing the tempo, an oversight allowed Anunoby to cut around Tatum for a dunk. Following Tatum’s foul and Anunoby’s subsequent free throw, the Knicks took a decisive three-point lead they maintained.
Horford may not be as defensively targeted as Brunson and Towns, but at 38, he has held up reasonably well in pick-and-roll situations this season.
Nevertheless, the Knicks needed to exploit a weakness, and with Porziņģis sidelined for much of the game, Horford became the focus.
On Monday, New York set 19 ball screens for Brunson against Horford’s defender, the most of any ball-handler or screener combination in Game 1, as tracked by Second Spectrum. The Knicks generated only 0.75 points per chance from those plays, but still managed some critical baskets late in the fourth quarter.
One such moment was a crafty behind-the-back dribble into a step-back 3-pointer that lifted the Knicks to a three-point advantage with just over four minutes remaining. On the following possession, Brunson again hit a step-back 3-pointer after isolating against Horford, who switched during the screen.
Although the Celtics are usually hesitant to double-team, they did so on the subsequent possession, effectively scrambling around the double-team to force Anunoby into an airball as the shot clock expired…
While it’s unlikely that the Celtics will frequently implement that blitz-and-rotate tactic going forward, it’s notable they are capable of employing it when necessary.
Their reluctance to double-team is one reason they manage to limit corner 3-point attempts.
Corner shots are typically the most efficient 3-point attempts, and during the regular season, Boston was tied with the Houston Rockets for having the fewest corner 3-point attempts allowed.
While opponents managed to shoot 41.4% from that area, the Celtics permitted just 1.5 makes per game. In the first round against the Magic, Orlando converted just eight corner 3-pointers across five games.
The Knicks nearly matched that total in Game 1, hitting 7-of-11 from the corners, including two of the night’s most pivotal shots.
With 1:15 remaining in regulation, Brunson maneuvered away from a screen, leaving Jrue Holiday behind. Tatum had to assist defensively, leaving Derrick White to guard two players on the strong side. One of them was Anunoby, who sank a crucial corner 3-pointer to put the Knicks ahead.
In overtime, after Anunoby’s and-1 dunk pushed the Knicks ahead by three, he posted up against Tatum. Brown did not double-team, yet he also failed to stay closely connected to Bridges in the corner. Thus, when Anunoby passed out, Brown found himself caught between assignments…
Those initial six points in overtime were avoidable, contingent on Tatum preventing Anunoby from getting behind him in transition and Brown remaining vigilant on defense.
The Celtics had opportunities to win at the end of regulation and to equalize at the end of overtime. On both occasions, New York successfully removed Boston’s main offensive threats from the court.
After obtaining a stop late in the fourth quarter, the Celtics called a timeout with 28.1 seconds left. At that moment, Brunson and Towns were substituted out for Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson.
Horford set a screen for Tatum, but after Robinson switched defensively, Tatum missed one of his step-back 3-point attempts over the towering 7-footer.
Thus, when they were trailing by three at the end of overtime and had a live-ball rebound, with Brunson and Towns back on the floor, the Celtics opted not to call a timeout. However, they appeared disorganized, and Brown ultimately received the ball against Towns with only six seconds remaining.
Another issue? The Knicks had a foul to give. Towns quickly grabbed Brown, allowing coach Tom Thibodeau to substitute his key players once again. The Celtics then called a timeout, but Bridges disrupted their out-of-bounds play by stealing the ball from Brown, sealing the victory for New York.
They will aim to capture another win in Game 2 on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, TNT).
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John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. Feel free to contact him via email, browse his archive, and follow him on X.
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