One of the most intriguing games in the NBA took place on Thursday night in Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks hosted the Boston Celtics in what promised to be yet another exciting episode of this NBA Classic.
Both teams headed into this game after a disappointing start to the season. The Celtics and the Knicks held a record of 18 wins and 20 losses ahead of their third meeting for the campaign. The first two ended with victories for the hosts as both of them ended up winning a game.
There have been a lot of problems for the Knicks ahead of the match. Kemba Walker, Derrick Rose, and Nerlens Noel were sidelined for the game due to injuries and illnesses. The Celtics, on the other hand, were back at full strength having all of their star players available.
and again 💦 pic.twitter.com/KB56NLewuw
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 7, 2022
The guests took off amazingly in the first two quarters, leading 32-57 with a couple of minutes before halftime. The Knicks went for a 16-3 run to finish off the third quarter, thus reducing their deficit to just 7 points. In the decisive moments of the match, the team from New York took the lead for the first time in the match.
Jayson Tatum sank a step back jump shot tying the game with 2 seconds to go. With the last action in the game, Alec Burks sent an inbound pass to RJ Barrett who had less than 1.5 seconds to take a shot. He went for a contested pullup jump shot from the 3-point line, sinking it for the win, 108-105.
RJ BARRETT BEATS THE CELTICS AT THE BUZZER ‼️ pic.twitter.com/PAlHvoratT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 7, 2022
Evan Fournier finished off with a career-high 41 points on 10-14 shooting from beyond the arc. Julius Randle dropped 22 points for the victory, while Immanuel Quickley added 16 points. Burks and Barrett who were the essence of the last play of the game disappointed throughout the fixture. Burks shot 1-10 from the field, while Barrett drained down 4 out of 15 attempts.
The Celtics felt more consistent, but their performance from the 3-point line made the difference in favor of the Knicks. Jayson Tatum posted 36 points on 12-21 shooting. Moreover, Dennis Schröder finished off with 20 points, while Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart combined for 30 points. Robert Williams III made a fantastic game in defense, grabbing 9 rebounds and blocking 7 shots.
