The New York Knicks, somehow, did it again. After being down by 20 points late in the third quarter, another wild comeback allowed them to steal a second game on the road against the Boston Celtics Wednesday night, 91-90. New York heads home with a stunning 2-0 series advantage over the defending champions.
Mikal Bridges saved the day for the Knicks again
What a wild series it has been for Mikal Bridges so far. Similar to Game 1, he couldn’t get anything going offensively through the first three quarters of Game 2, as he was scoreless entering the fourth quarter.
However, he was the one who did what Jalen Brunson usually does in fourth quarters this time. Bridges all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter, helping trim the deficit greatly as the quarter wound down. Eventually, the Knicks were able to grab their first lead of the night with 1:58 left in regulation.
In almost the exact same way he won Game 1 for them, Bridges stole the ball on a Jayson Tatum hard drive with just seconds remaining, securing yet another wild victory for New York.
That type of defensive effort is why the Knicks traded five first-round picks for him in the offseason. He has provided the stifling defense that was advertised about him over the summer, and he is putting that on full display at the right time.
The Knicks’ role players stepped up in a big way
The Knicks did not get a typical good game from Brunson, as he shot just 6-for-19 from the field and finished with 17 points. While scoring was not a premium for either team in this game, New York’s role players stepped up in a big way.
Josh Hart led the way in scoring with 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 from three. He and Karl-Anthony Towns (21 points, 17 rebounds) kept the Knicks in the game with their scoring effort, and Hart’s hot shooting in the third quarter helped them gain momentum to trim into Boston’s lead.
Mitchell Robinson brought incredible tenacity defensively, recording three steals along with six points and eight rebounds. He had the highest plus-minus for New York at +19, and made an incredible impact for them as he demonstrated why he is so valuable to the team.
The Knicks need to start games better to have higher chances of winning
Despite winning both games in Boston, the Knicks need to have better starts to games to have better chances of winning and not rely on an improbable comeback.
In Game 2, New York scored just 13 points in the first quarter, and overall on the night, they shot just 43% from the floor and 29% from three. Luckily for them, the Celtics had another rough shooting night of their own, going 36.2% from the floor and 25% from three. Jayson Tatum only had 13 points and shot just 5-for-19 from the field.
However, New York can’t bank on bad shooting from the Celtics to win games. Boston has shown to be lights out from distance, so New York needs to keep applying pressure on the defensive side and turn it into strong offense.
Overview
Many people probably did not believe the Knicks would head back to Madison Square Garden up 2-0, but here we are. The Knicks are in full control of the series, and they will look to gain an unprecedented 3-0 advantage on Saturday at the Garden.