In perhaps the most stunning and resilient comeback effort in quite some time, the New York Knicks climbed back from down 20 to steal Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics on the road Monday night to win in overtime 108-105. New York now has a 1-0 series advantage heading into Game 2, something very few people expected coming into the series.
Knicks: Jalen Brunson once again showed off his clutch gene against the Celtics
It is becoming very difficult to describe Jalen Brunson’s brilliance during the postseason. He seems to always find a way to get his team to the finish line, and he did it once again on Monday.
He finished Game 1 with 29 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and helped push the lead to as much as six in regulation. He had a chance to close out the game with another game-winner in regulation, but he missed a floater near the rim that he usually makes nine times out of 10.
Luckily, there was no ill effect from that as New York dominated the overtime period defensively, capped off by a game-sealing steal by Mikal Bridges in the final seconds. Brunson has taken his game to a whole new level this postseason, and now the potential is there for him to lead this team to greater heights after pulling off a stunning victory on the road to open this series.
OG Anunoby had his best game of the playoffs against the Celtics
OG Anunoby has had a strong postseason for the Knicks thus far, but Game 1 against Boston was perhaps his best game in the playoffs. He tied Brunson to lead all Knicks scorers with 29 points and shot 6-for-11 from three-point range.
Defensively, he made another strong impact, recording a key steal in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 86 and cap off a 31-11 run for New York. Anunoby was also key in forcing Boston to take tough, contested shots, which played well into the Knicks’ favor and helped them come back.
Boston shot ghastly splits from the floor, including 35.1% from the field and 25% from three. The Celtics took 60 threes in Game 1, and missed an NBA Playoff record 45 triples. Anunoby’s presence on the perimeter was huge for New York, and they will need more of that impact as the series continues.
Fouls haunted Karl-Anthony Towns once again in Game 1
Karl-Anthony Towns has had issues with getting into foul trouble throughout the postseason. Unfortunately, that trend continued into Game 1 for him and hurt the Knicks drastically.
He picked up his third foul early in the second quarter, forcing Mitchell Robinson to come in. However, the Celtics started intentionally fouling Robinson to send him to the free throw line, and Robinson is not a good free throw shooter. Therefore, Tom Thibodeau had no choice but to insert Precious Achiuwa into the game for his playoff action, and it did not go well.
Consequently, Boston got up to a 16-point lead at halftime, and it would not be too long before Towns found himself with five fouls. Luckily, he avoided fouling out and finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, but the Knicks can’t afford to have him sit for a long period of time in foul trouble, as he is their second-best offensive player and a key part of their scoring brigade.
Overview
The Knicks defied all the odds and stole Game 1 on the road against the defending champions. The series is still far from over, but suddenly New York has momentum heading into Game 2, which is to be played Wednesday night at the TD Garden and be broadcast nationally on TNT.