On Monday, the New York Knicks stole Game 1 on the Boston Celtics‘ home floor with a 108-105 overtime win. The Celtics had a sizable lead in the first half, which increased to 20. However, the Knicks were able to mount a comeback in the second half and cut the deficit. New York’s efforts to rally back gave them the edge in the overtime period and secured the win.
The Celtics’ frontcourt duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were the top performers, as they both had 23 points. Unfortunately for the two All-Stars, they both had difficulty shooting the basketball. Tatum shot a lowly 30.4 percent from the field while Brown had a slightly better shooting percentage of 35 percent.
They were no match for Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, who had 29 points each.
After the game, Tatum praised the Knicks for what they did to defend him, which slowed down the Celtics’ offense. Even in mismatches, the All-Star forward couldn’t get to his spots inside the paint.
“You’ve got to give them credit. It’s a really talented team on both ends of the floor, well-connected and they make it tough. You just gotta be intentional about what you’re trying to do,” Tatum said.
"You've got to give them credit. It's a really talented team on both ends of the floor, well-connected and they make it tough."
– Jayson Tatum on the Knicks pic.twitter.com/lIPxbm0CkL
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025
The Knicks had a slight edge on fastbreak points with 10, while Tatum and the Celtics had eight. Even in the rebounding department, New York didn’t have a dominating performance with 49 rebounds. The defending champions had 59 boards, as they made use of their size advantage.
However, it came down to shot-making, which Boston had trouble with. From beyond the arc, the Celtics only made 25 percent, while the Knicks knocked down 45.9 percent. Game 2 will be at the TD Garden on Wednesday.
Jaylen Brown knows the Boston Celtics underperformed in making the most of their 3-pointers
Brown knows the Boston Celtics had difficulty shooting the basketball from beyond the arc. After the game, he acknowledged how the group couldn’t make the most of their attempts from deep. However, he shrugged it off and said that the group is focused on getting a win in Game 2.
“We had a historic night of missed three-pointers, etc. We’ll take a look and kind of see what the energy was. In reality, you’ve almost got to have a short-term memory, throw it away, get ready for Game 2. We don’t have time to let stuff carry over,” Brown said.
"We had a historic night of missed three-pointers, etc. We'll take a look and kind of see what the energy was. In reality, you've almost got to have a short-term memory, throw it away, get ready for Game 2. We don't have time to let stuff carry over."
– Jaylen Brown pic.twitter.com/amBnCn7hDV
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025
Playing against the Knicks is no different since they played against the Orlando Magic in the first round. Like New York, the Magic was a physically daunting team to play against. However, the Boston Celtics know what it’s like to contend for a title, and physicality is a part of it.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
