New York Knicks (53-28) beat Boston Celtics (54-26) 112-106 at home on Thursday, April 9. The Celtics led after three quarters, but the Knicks took control in the fourth.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Celtics struck first, taking the opening quarter 29-26 and a 3-point lead after one. The Knicks moved in front with a 28-24 second quarter, carrying a 1-point lead into halftime.
The Celtics won the third 30-27 to turn the game around, taking a 2-point lead into the fourth. The Knicks took the fourth 31-23; the Knicks completed the comeback for a 112-106 regulation win.
What decided it
The Knicks got more from their shots, finishing at 63.1% effective field-goal shooting compared with 54.8% for the Celtics. The Knicks took better care of the ball, turning it over on 7.9% of possessions compared with 11.4% for the Celtics. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Celtics did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 34.2% against 14.7%. The Knicks made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 88 possessions per team, the Knicks produced 126.8 points per 100 possessions to 120 for the Celtics.
Who made the difference
Jalen Brunson was the game's biggest individual force for NYK: 25 pts, 1 reb, 10 ast on 10-19 shooting. His Game Score of 20.4 led everyone. His team was +8 with him on the floor.
Baylor Scheierman led the Celtics with 20 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast on 7-8 shooting, good for a 18 Game Score.
Karl-Anthony Towns (16 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast), Jalen Brunson (25 pts, 1 reb, 10 ast), and Jayson Tatum (24 pts, 13 reb, 8 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 59% for the Knicks.
Across the last 13 meetings in our records, Boston Celtics lead 7-6.
The Knicks are now 53-28, and the Celtics are 54-26. The Knicks last five before this game: L-L-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.