After two horrendous games in which they displayed very little effort, the Celtics were back to their gritty selves tonight in Boston. They jumped out to an early lead and never trailed while dominating the Knicks, 115-87. Isaiah Thomas was unstoppable, shooting 9-17 for 29 points in just 28 minutes. Marcus Smart was a bulldog all night, setting a physical tone while posting 12 points, six rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals. Kelly Olynyk added 19 points in just his second game of the season, and Boston had seven scorers in double figures.
Although the Celts were outrebounded again, it was only by 57-53, and the Cs actually outscored NY in second-chance points, 20 to 12. Boston was also the more physical team, going to the line 43 times compared to 17 for New York. And the Cs got a break when Carmelo Anthony was ejected in the second quarter. The unhappy New Yorkers were hit with six technicals on the night (Brandon Jennings was tossed, as well.)
The fast first quarter start was spurred by Brad Stevens inserting Smart and Olynyk in the starting lineup. The Celtics’ first four shots went down: an IT jumper and three-pointer, then two straight deep triples by Smart. The Cs were aggressive on offense and swarmed the boards on defense. They also made three steals in the early minutes: Amir Johnson went to the floor to wrestle the rock away from Joachim Noah, Kelly stripped Melo, then Avery Bradley anticipated a pass and fed IT for a sneakaway layup. Boston’s lead reached 25-14 before the Knicks made an 11-3 run. Although the Celts went cold in the final minutes, they still ended the quarter ahead, 31-27. Isaiah had 11 in the period, but Melo scored 12.
The first four minutes of the second were ugly, with neither team able to make a shot and the Celtics again forgetting how to box out. The worst was on NY missed a free throw – Amir inexplicably stepped aside and allowed Willy Hernangomez an uncontested putback.
With Boston leading 44-38, Anthony was called for a loose ball foul. He objected and was T’d up by ref Tony Brothers. Melo continued to complain and paid the price by being tossed with his second technical. This unraveling helped the Celts to an 11-0 run and a 50-38 advantage. In the closing minutes of the quarter, Isaiah hit two straight from the arc and threaded the needle on a sensational pass through the paint for an Olynyk layup. At intermission, IT had 23 points on 8-12 shooting as Boston led, 61-51.
Besides losing Anthony, the Knicks could only play Kristaps Porzingis nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. Porzingis ended up with 14 points in 23 minutes and did not pick up the slack in Melo’s absence.
In the third, the Celts looked like they would pull away when they extended to a 70-55 lead, but the Knicks responded with eight straight. However, the second unit came alive with steals and forcing NY turnovers. The Celts attacked the basket and got to the line repeatedly, boosting the lead up to 17 points before finishing the quarter ahead, 86-73.
Without Melo, the Knicks were cold to start the fourth, missing their first eight shots and committing five turnovers in the first six minutes. When Jaylen Brown converted an and-one off a Smart steal and dish, the lead was 21 and it was Gino Time.
The Green:
The Cs won the first quarter for the first time in four games.
The Celtics hit the offensive boards a bit, too, including a second-quarter sequence that ended with a third-chance three by IT.
Bradley won a jump ball against 7’4” Porzingis, leading to an Olynyk three-pointer.
Terry Rozier couldn’t hit (1-8 shooting) but was aggressive and finished +28.
The Gross:
After a potent start to the first quarter, the Celtics managed only three free throws in the final 4:22, allowing the Knicks back into the game.
After a good first quarter on the glass (the Cs matched NY with 13 boards) the rebounding woes returned as they allowed NY to grab 12 offensive caroms in the second quarter. The highlight was this embarrassing sequence:
This sequence ended with a Celtics fan next to the media section screeching at Zeller, “GRAB A REBOUND, YOU’RE 7 FEET TALL!” pic.twitter.com/jAiuc604lo
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) November 12, 2016
The Greenlights:
Marcus Smart launches a deep 3… And it’s nothing but net! pic.twitter.com/LlaVw9AfEu
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 12, 2016
Not in Jaylen’s house! pic.twitter.com/PdcFzIxBV1
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 12, 2016
Isaiah with the DIME pic.twitter.com/BjWs7lZH9r
— Kyle George (@kyoo) November 12, 2016
The Grid:
- FGs: Knicks 33-94 (35.1%); Celtics 35-90 (38.9%)
- 3PT: Knicks 6-23 (26.1%); Celtics 11-27 (40.7%)
- FT: Knicks 15-17 (88.2%); Celtics 34-43 (79.1%)
- Points in the Paint: Knicks 44 (22/55), Celtics 42 (21/50)
- 2nd Chance Points: Knicks 12 (5/21), Celtics 20 (7/17)
- Fast Break Points: Knicks 9 (2/3), Celtics 18 (6/10)
- Technical Fouls: Knicks (6): Anthony 4:44 2nd , Anthony 4:44 2nd , Noah 1:59 3rd , Porzingis 7:50 4th , Jennings 3:20 4th, Jennings 3:20 4th; Celtics: None
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