The New York Knicks again tonight had only 10 players dressed to play, since neither Tim Hardaway Jr. nor Travis Wear were cleared from their injuries. For the Boston Celtics Isaiah Thomas, who came back on Wednesday, looked a lot better in his second game.
Both teams have had a hard time in the first quarter lately, and it seemed like both tried to take care that it didn't happen in this game. Shane Larkin with eight points and Andrea Bargnani with six kept the Knicks going on the offensive end while Isaiah Thomas only needed a couple of minutes to lead the Celtics with six points in the first quarter, which the Knicks won 21-20.
More urgency from the Celtics in the second quarter
In the second quarter the Celtics started to play with the expected urgency, and they pulled away slowly, while the energy in the Madison Square Garden seemed to focus on Knicks legend Walt ”Clyde” Frazier's 70th birthday, that was celebrated tonight.
The Knicks succeeded in stopping the Celtics run in the end of the second quarter with two difficult shots from Bargnani for five points. The Celtics' lead at halftime was 47-39.
Bargnani keeps the Knicks in the game
The second half started with a couple of putbacks by Bargnani and that seemed to energize the Knicks, while the Celtics played sloppy and committed five turnovers within less than six minutes. The Knicks were able to cut the lead to 51-50.
The third quarter turned into a mirror of the first half with the Celtics pulling away late, but with the Knicks able to keep the Celtics lead before the last quarter at seven, after Jason Smith hit a buzzer-beating three point shot from the left corner. For the Celtics, Isaiah Thomas looked a lot more comfortable than Wednesday but missed six of his first seven shots before hitting two late in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter soon became kind of a slugfest with both teams struggling to earn their points. The Celtics, especially Jae Crowder, tried to find their points in the paint, where the Knicks would foul them and send them to the free throw line. At the end of the game, Boston had shot 43 free throw attempts and hit 34, while the Knicks had hit nine of 14 free throw attempts.
No surrender from the Knicks
To the Knicks' credit they never gave up in this game, and even though they weren't able to catch the Celtics at any point down the stretch, they had their chances late in the fourth quarter and hit a couple of big shots, while sending the Celtics to the free throw line some more. But to no avail. In the end the Celtics win, 96-92.
Andrea Bargnani had a big game with a game high 25 points on 20 shots, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Shane Larkin, Langston Galloway, Cleanthony Early and Jason Smith also hit double figures in points.
For Boston Isaiah Thomas only hit four of 13 field goal attempts, but went eight of nine from the free throw line. He ended up with a team high 18 points and six assists in only 24 minutes. Brandon Bass had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Jae Crowder had 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Also Avery Bradley and Evan Turner hit double figures in points.
Boston stays in the playoff picture
Boston keeps the eighth place in the Eastern Conference and is now only one game behind the Miami Heat. The Knicks extend their losing streak to seven and stay at the bottom of the league.
Boston plays at home on Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Knicks play tomorrow in Chicago against the Bulls.