Both the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks entered Thursday night's matchup with a 4-1 record, as Boston looked to get some revenge for a 101-95 loss they took against the Knicks last Friday night.

The Celtics started their damage early on, as they scored 21 points in the first eight minutes of action. Their offense wasn’t the only thing clicking for them, as they were also able to force seven New York turnovers and picked up four steals in the first period of the game.  

After missing the last game, New York star Carmelo Anthony got off to a sluggish start, as he went 1 of 7 from the floor. Both the first and second quarter featured two Boston guys scoring 11 points, as Tyler Zeller picked them up in the first quarter and Jared Sullinger put them up in the second. Point guard Jose Calderon was able to start the New York offense by hitting two three-pointers and notching up eight points after the first 24 minutes.

By halftime, the Knicks had trailed by as many as 19 and were down by 12. Boston was able to share the ball and piled up 16 assists in which eight of them came from Marcus Smart. Bean town was also shooting it at 47 percent while the Knicks were at 42 percent.

Starter Arron Afflalo did not play in the second half of the game after he suffered a left hamstring injury. He logged 10 points in 19 minutes of action. New York began to climb back into the game and cut the Celtic lead to just four during the third frame. Boston then responded by going on an 8-1 run and led by five entering the final 12 minutes of regulation. The Knicks, however, were able to win the quarter, 26-19.

Boston secured their lead in the final period by remaining the dominant team, outscoring their rivals by 11. The Celtics wrapped up the game with 28 assists and seven steals, as they shot 42 percent from the field. New York finished at 38 percent and struggled protecting the ball with 15 turnovers.

Zeller was the high man for Boston with 15 points and Sullinger chipped in 16 points off the bench. Anthony finished with a dreadful shooting night, going 4 of 18 and recording eight points in 31 minutes of play. Calderon led all scorers with 17 points to go along with eight boards. Derrick Williams, who has been the Knicks leading scorer in the preseason, finished with 14 points.

New York concluded their preseason with a record of 4-2. The Celtics, now at 5-1, have one game remaining which will take place tomorrow night in Manchester, New Hampshire against the Philadelphia 76ers.   

VAVEL Logo
About the author