The New York Knicks need to figure things out on the road. Their struggles away from Madison Square Garden continued into Tuesday, as they fell short of taking down the red-hot Boston Celtics on the road, 123-117.
Knicks let an early lead slip away
The Knicks started the game red-hot from three, and they opened it up to a 14-point lead early in the second quarter. Josh Hart scored 11 points in the first quarter, and they were rolling offensively. However, in a similar fashion to their last game against the Raptors, complacency punched them in the mouth in the second quarter.
Boston outscored the Knicks 37-20 in the second quarter, pushing their lead to six before halftime. The Knicks had a tough time getting themselves back into it as their shooting went ice cold, and they found themselves trailing by 18 entering the fourth.
New York showed some fight, cutting the deficit to just three with still six and a half minutes to play. Unfortunately, they couldn’t slow Jaylen Brown (40 points, 16-24 FG) and the rest of the Celtics down, which led to their demise.
The comeback effort was encouraging, but the lack of defensive pressure caught up to them. This was a game where they were badly missing OG Anunoby and his defensive prowess.
Jalen Brunson put in his worst game of the season
Jalen Brunson had his first true stinker of the season, struggling to get shots to fall all night long. He finished with just 15 points and shot 6-for-21 from the field and 1-for-8 from three-point range.
He was the opposite of his usual clutch self down the stretch, going just 2-for-7 in the fourth quarter. He forced a handful of tough shots underneath the basket that wouldn’t go down, which ultimately sunk the Knicks’ chances of making a comeback.
In a long 82-game season, bad games will happen. The hope is that Brunson can brush this game off and turn things around in their next game.
Mikal Bridges gave the Knicks everything he had
Mikal Bridges has had a terrific season up to this point, and he had his best game of the season against the Celtics despite the loss.
Bridges finished with a season-high 35 points on 12-for-17 shooting from the floor. He also managed to knock down a career-high eight three-pointers on just 12 attempts, putting in by far his best offensive performance of the young season.
Additionally, he recorded two more steals to extend his streak to 11 straight games with two or more steals. Bridges has been on some kind of tear this season, and the Knicks have themselves a critical piece who will help them pursue their ultimate goals.
Overview
The Knicks had many opportunities to walk away with a win, but they couldn’t get the job done. They’ll flush this one away and hope to put it behind them on Wednesday when they head back home to take on the Charlotte Hornets.