Jaylen Brown-less Celtics fall 112-106 to Knicks behind Josh Hart's big night
· Yahoo Sports
BOSTON — The Boston Celtics had a chance at securing the second seed in the Eastern Conference and winning their fifth straight Atlantic Division title on Thursday night. Instead, the New York Knicks spoiled their plans at Madison Square Garden, as the Celtics fell 112-106 to their old foe.
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Even with Celtics star Jaylen Brown resting for the night, Boston managed to give New York some trouble. The C's even led 101-99 with less than 4 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, yet the Knicks came alive down the stretch. Or, more specifically, Knicks forward Josh Hart did. The Villanova alum hit back-to-back triples on the Knicks' final two possessions that iced the game. He finished with a game-high 26 points despite scoring just 14 points over his previous three outings.
Although Boston lacked some of its normal firepower, Celtics star Jayson Tatum created plenty of open looks for his teammates and tallied 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists in the defeat while logging a season-high 40 minutes. He failed to convert on 15 of his 22 shots from the field but Boston's bench lent a hand. Celtics wing Baylor Scheierman helped in particular, scoring 20 points in 30 minutes and connecting on 6 of his 7 shots from deep.
In short, the Celtics didn't have an answer for Hart or Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who also had 25 points and 10 assists. As a result, Boston dropped to 1-3 in the season series with New York and had its four-game winning streak snapped.
The 54-26 Celtics won't have much time to think about this primetime loss, though. They host the 26-54 New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night at TD Garden and will have another shot at locking up the second spot in the East.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Knicks forward Josh Hart slammed the door on the Celtics in the fourth