The Knicks beat the Boston Celtics, 121-113, in Game 4 of their second round matchup on Monday night.
New York now has a 3-1 series advantage over the defending champs.
Here are some takeaways…
– Tom Thibodeau said pregame that the Knicks had discussions about starting Mitchell Robinson to keep the Celtics from fouling him while in the bonus, but they ultimately decided to stick with the usual starters.
– The opening few minutes of this one were a bit of a carbon copy from Game 3. New York got off to an extremely slow start offensively and Boston was able to open an early advantage behind some hot shooting — headlined by Derrick White knocking down his first four triples.
– The Knicks finally found the scorers touch after an early Thibodeau timeout — getting back into the game behind an 11-0 run started with five straight points from Mikal Bridges — but three threes from Jayson Tatum in the quarter’s closing minutes helped the Celtics re-establish a double-digit advantage.
Boston opened things up knocking down 9-of-14 threes — seven of which were Tatum and White.
– The Knicks were dominating the offensive glass in the first half, led by Robinson who saw extended minutes with Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble. The big man reeled in five boards but was forced to the bench late in the quarter with Boston once again turning to the ‘Hack-A-Mitch’ strategy.
– The second quarter was mainly back-and-forth, but the Celtics’ hot shooting continued and they were able to carry an 11-point advantage into the break. As a team, they shot an even 50 percent from behind the arc and the trio of Tatum, White, and Jaylen Brown combined to produce 49 of their 62 points.
– The Celtics were able to open their largest lead of the game coming out of the locker room, but once again the Knicks responded right back. Huge buckets from Towns and Jalen Brunson helped New York get back within striking distance.
– Brunson was terrific, going blow for blow with Tatum in the third. An OG Anunoby wide open three and Josh Hart driving lay-in with seconds remaining in the quarter gave New York their first lead since the first heading into the final frame.
– The teams went back and forth trading baskets early in the fourth before back-to-back buckets from Brunson and Bridges helped the Knicks open their largest lead of the series. Coming out of a Celtics timeout, Tatum went down with a non-contact injury going after an open ball and needed to be helped back to the locker room.
On the play, Anunoby took off and put home an exclamation point slam to put this one away for good. Prior to the injury, Tatum was terrific for the Celtics — putting up a game-high 42 points on 16-of-28 shooting.
– As always, Brunson led the way for the Knicks down the stretch — finishing with 39 points on 14-of-24 shooting. Towns put together a 21 point and 11 rebound double-double, Bridges had 23 points, Anunoby had 20 points and Hart scored just six but brought in nine boards. Robinson reeled in seven rebounds off the bench.
Game MVP: Jalen Brunson
As was the case all season long, Brunson took over for the Knicks when they needed it the most.
Highlights
KAT muscles to the basket for two 💪
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/250nIGOtfY
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 12, 2025
Brunson nails the triple! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/3af2O6FuGN
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 13, 2025
Jalen finds Mitch for the slam! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7zgaLBUvWG
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 13, 2025
KAT with the slam 😤
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/eTY7PyTVjo
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 13, 2025
Mikal!
The Knicks are back within 6 🔥
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/t7VLcCf0Ou
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 13, 2025
OG Anunoby shoots the open three and NAILS it 🎯 pic.twitter.com/kfCHlIcayz
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 13, 2025
Whats next
The Knicks will look to close the series out on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in Boston.
Read the full article here