The New York Knicks They beat the Boston Celtics 112-106, in a duel with a ‘playoff’ flavor, possible prelude to an Eastern semifinals in which both could meet again.L
Furthermore, the victory of the Knicks stops, for now, the Celtics from securing second place in the East, which would give them the home-field factor in those hypothetical semifinals.
However, the Celtics (54-26) lead the Knicks (52-28) in two wins with only two games left, so the ‘sorpasso’ seems like a pipe dream. The Knicks have won three of the four head-to-head meetings between the two this season.
Jayson Tatum’s emotional return to Madison, the scene of the “worst moment of my life”
The match also marked the return of Jayson Tatum to Madison Square Garden, the stage where suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon 11 months ago (“the worst moment of my life”)precisely in those same Eastern semifinals.
I was nervous and eager to get back to the Madison. It was very hard. Especially at the beginning. It took me a while to calm down
Tatum came close to the triple-double with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assistsalthough he signed a poor night of 7 of 22 in field goals (31.8%), including 2 of 10 in triples, in addition to 6 losses.
Drama of the champion: The Celtics, on the verge of KO after seeing Tatum leave in a wheelchair
“It was a crucial moment, a big challenge for me. I was nervous and eager to get back here. Obviously, I wanted to win and play well, but, above all, I wanted to get off the court on my own foot… It was very hard. Especially at the beginning. It took me a while to calm down,” Tatum shared after the game.
Since returning, the reception I’ve received from players, coaches I’ve never even spoken to, and general managers has been fantastic.
“Jayson was Jayson. He was very calm and collected on the court. I didn’t notice much difference tonight. He was just the same as always,” he shared Baylor Scheierman.
Over the last month, Tatum has more than delivered: He’s back on the court, playing plenty of minutes (39 and 40, respectively, in Boston’s last two games), and slowly looking more and more like the player who was selected to the All-NBA first team in each of the last four seasons.
Jyson Tatum erases Hugo González on the stage of the “worst moment of my life”
“Since I’ve been back, the reception I’ve received from players, coaches I’ve never even spoken to, and general managers has been fantastic. Even today at Madison, when they announced my name, there was a lot of noise, and that means a lot, obviously, to wear the Celtics uniform and show their respect. I appreciate it a lot,” Tatum said.
Second consecutive game that Hugo González is left without playing with the Boston Celtics
The duel between the Knicks and Celtics was marked by equality, with 16 alternations on the scoreboard and up to 13 ties, without any of them managing to break away.
The Knicks, experts in dominating the final minutes, took control of the final quarter (31-23) with 15 points from Josh Hart, including two triples in the final seconds.
Hart finished the game with 26 points, while Jalen Brunson had 25 points and 10 assists.
Jaylen Brown, who is averaging 28.8 points this season with Boston, was rested due to Achilles tendonitis.
The Spanish rookie Hugo González, who has lost prominence since the return of Jayson Tatumdid not have minutes due to a technical decision for the second consecutive game.