The New York Knicks did it again, stunning the Boston Celtics with another late rally to win 91-90 in Game 2, and take a 2-0 series lead back to Madison Square Garden.
Just two days after New York mounted a 20-point comeback to steal Game 1, the Knicks found themselves down by 20 points again with 3:12 remaining in the third quarter. Completing this feat once is impressive, but twice? And against the defending NBA champions in their own building? Improbable. Arguably impossible.
Until it wasn’t. The Knicks closed the game on a 38-17 run, holding Boston to just 2-15 shooting from long range in the fourth quarter. Jalen Brunson struggled all night but in clutch time, he showed up again scoring nine of his 17 points in the fourth. He shot just 6-19 from the field and 2-9 from deep. Mikal Bridges did not score for the first three quarters, before sparking the Knicks with 14 points and another game-clinching defensive stop.
The Celtics shot just 36.2 percent from the field, including 25 percent (10-40) from deep. Jaylen Brown was dynamic in the first half but disappeared down the stretch, finishing with 20 points on 8-23 shooting. Jayson Tatum, who turned the ball over on Boston’s final possession, scored just 13 points on 5-19 shooting and was 1-5 from deep.
The series now shifts to New York for Game 3, Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.