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The Boston Celtics bagged a 116-102 win over the New York Knicks on Saturday at MSG. The Celtics were all over the Knicks in the second half after stretching their four-point halftime advantage to 20 points before the home team trimmed it to 13 entering the fourth period.
The Celtics got hot from 3-point land, making nine of their 15 3s by the start of the fourth quarter in the third frame. Jayson Tatum, who had six points in the first two quarters, dropped 13 points in the second half. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown was at the top of his game all night, tallying 30 points.
The shorthanded Knicks fought valiantly behind Jalen Brunson's mammoth 34-point performance. The All-Star guard was firing on all cylinders, with Julius Randle and OG Anunoby continuing their time on the sidelines. Josh Hart made a decent contribution to support Brunson, but the others failed, leading to the Knicks' loss.
All Celtics starters scored in double-digits, while only three Knicks players could achieve that. Regardless of the Celtics' second-half dominance, the game had plenty of highlights from both sides.
Top 5 highlights from Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks
Here are the five best plays from Saturday night's marquee clash between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks:
#1, Jayson Tatum's block on Donte DiVincenzo
Tatum had an off night early on, but he was a monster defensively. He produced his top play of the night on the defensive end. Tatum viciously blocked DiVincenzo in the third quarter after the Knicks guard got a free lane to attack the rim.
Tatum was the last line of defense and he got a clean block at DiVincenzo's attempt. Here's the play:
#2, Jalen Brunson makes Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White look silly
Brunson continued his fine form for the Knicks with another solid out, albeit in a losing cause. The All-Star dropped 13 first-quarter points. While doing so, he had Porzingis and White look silly on the same play as he got the Celtics' duo to bite on his pump fakes. Here's the play:
#3, Jalen Brunson cooks Kristaps Porzingis again
Porzingis continues to intimidate his counterparts with his 7-foot-3 frame, but Brunson used it to his advantage. With his silky smooth dribbling skills, Brunson hunted Porzingis on a switch during the third quarter.
The Celtics big man was on an island with the Knicks guard and the latter had the former scrambling to find his feet. Brunson got the separation on the midrange jumper and the foul. Here's the play:
#4, Jayson Tatum's nifty finish
Jayson Tatum found his rhythm in the second half and never looked back. However, he had one of his best plays of the night in the first half at the start of the second quarter. Tatum showed off his handles and split the pick-and-roll to finish in traffic over the towering presence of Isaiah Hartnenstein. Here's the play:
#5, Al Horford reaps benefits of Celtics' offensive rebounding
The Celtics ensured they didn't give the Knicks any chances of making a comeback down the stretch by winning the 50-50 plays. During one of the possessions in the fourth quarter, the Celtics got five-shot chances because of their elite offensive rebounding.
Boston couldn't buy a bucket until Al Horford wildly tipped the last miss, which bounced high off the glass and went straight into the basket.
