After the New York Knicks took Game 4, the jubilation was traffic-stopping. And for good reasons, as the Knicks only needed one more game to advance against a Boston Celtics team that was now hobbled without Jayson Tatum.
Oh, did I forget to mention that only 13 teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series, out of 288 instances (4.5%)? The Boston faithful were praying for miracles and the possibility of somehow conjuring up Larry Bird to don a uniform and do legendary things.
The Celtics did get a legendary performance from a player with the first letter L, but it wasn’t Larry. Instead, it was Luke Kornet ($3,800; 38.75 FPTS), who put up 10 points, nine rebounds, an assist, a steal and not one…not two…not three…not even four, but seven blocks in 26 minutes of action.
Jaylen Brown ($8,200; 58 FPTS) stepped into the alpha role vacated by Tatum and went for 26 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists and a steal in 37 minutes. He shot 9-of-17 from the field, 3-of-5 from downtown and 5-of-8 from the line.
Derrick White ($7,700; 49.25 FPTS) led the team with 34 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 7-of-13 from beyond the arc and 9-of-11 from the line. He also chipped in three rebounds, two assists and three blocks in 40 minutes.
Payton Pritchard ($5,200; 32.25 FPTS) put up 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 39 minutes.
For New York:
Josh Hart ($6,900; 37.75 FPTS) was the top scorer with 24 points. He also provided seven rebounds and two assists in 36 minutes.
Mitchell Robinson ($3,900; 29.75 FPTS) foiled the Hack-a-Robinson strategy by making all six of his free throws. He finished the game with eight points, 13 rebounds, a block and two steals in 23 minutes.
Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,000; 32.5 FPTS) only converted five of his 11 shots for 19 points, eight rebounds, a block and a steal.
Jalen Brunson ($8,900; 31.75 FPTS) was held to 7-of-17 shooting and 1-of-4 from downtown for 22 points. He also provided a rebound and six assists in 33 minutes.
Mikal Bridges ($6,200; 19.5 FPTS) had nine points, two rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in 40 minutes. He only drained four of 14 shots.
OG Anunoby ($6,000; 20.5 FPTS) was putrid from the field, shooting 1-of-12 and 1-of-5 from downtown for six points. He also had eight rebounds, two assists and a block.
The first half of this game was tight and competitive. New York led by two points after the first quarter, but Boston won the second quarter by two points.
The third quarter was when Boston gained separation, winning the quarter 32-17. After that, the Celtics cruised to the 127-102 victory.
Boston shot 52.4% from the field, compared to only 35.8% for New York. Boston was 22-of-49 from downtown (44.9%) while New York was 12-of-30 (40%). Boston had 27 assists compared to 17 for New York and had 12 blocks vs. four.
Game 6 is in MSG on Friday.
