The New York Knicks put up a good effort late, but it was too little too late in their 119-114 loss to the Boston Celtics.
- Boston Celtics 119
- New York Knicks 114
- NBA, Final, Box Score
- Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
The New York Knicks were down nine points with three minutes remaining and looked dead in the water. The Boston Celtics were a better team on Christmas Day and they’d locked New York up in the second half.
But the game was from over. The Knicks proceeded to go on an 11-2 run led by Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, culminating in Anthony tying the score at 112-112 with 1:06 remaining.
It was the first tie since 22-22 in the first quarter.
Suddenly the Knicks had life.
All of that was sucked out on the next possession when Marcus Smart hit an open three from right in front of the Celtics bench. The score was 115-112 and Boston didn’t look back.
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As harsh a defeat as this one is for the Knicks to swallow, especially on a national stage, there’s also some good to be taken from it.
When they were facing adversity against a legitimate playoff team they didn’t pack it in. Instead, their two best players took control of the game and faced the challenge head on.
Despite a poor shooting performance from Anthony (9-24, 2-7 3P) he stepped up. Porzingis again showed ultimate confidence in his constantly improving game.