Celtics Survive at Home, Push Series to a Game 6 at MSG

Derrick White scorched the Knicks with 34 points while Jaylen Brown delivered a dominant all-around performance to carry Boston in Tatum’s absence, forcing a Game 6 back in New York.

Final Score: Knicks 103 Celtics 127

The New York Knicks entered tonight with a golden opportunity to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, and with Boston’s star Jayson Tatum officially sidelined following ACL surgery, the path looked wide open for New York to take care of business on the road. But instead, the Celtics delivered a defiant 127-102 victory in front of an energetic TD Garden crowd, keeping their season alive and narrowing New York’s series lead to 3-2 now.

From tipoff, it was clear the Celtics weren’t going down easy. Derrick White played like a man possessed, drilling seven triples en route to a 34-point explosion, while Jaylen Brown stepped up with an assertive 26-point, 12-rebound, 8-assist night. Perhaps the biggest surprise? Luke Kornet, Boston’s third-string big, swatted away any hope of a Knicks comeback, recording an absurd nine blocks and anchoring the paint in Kristaps Porzingis’ underwhelming outing.

The Knicks came out sharp, with Mikal Bridges opening the scoring off a mid-range jumper, followed by a steal on a lazy pass from Derrick White. Though the Celtics punched back behind White’s early barrage of threes, four straight to be exact, New York weathered the storm. Karl-Anthony Towns found his way to the line, Josh Hart got into transition (as he does best), and Jalen Brunson orchestrated the offense with slick dimes and paint attacks.

What stood out was New York’s resilience after defensive lapses. Mitchell Robinson, reinserted into the rotation, brought noticeable grit. Not only did he pull down multiple offensive boards, but he also knocked down all his free throws (six-of-six), something he’s struggled with all series. McBride added a heavily contested three, and OG Anunoby knocked down a key triple following a steal created by defensive pressure from Deuce.

Late in the quarter, chaos struck when Hart took an elbow to the face from Kornet, drawing blood. It sparked a quick review, but no flagrant was called. Hart returned to sink free throws, and Robinson closed the quarter with a gritty put-back and solid rim protection.

For the first time in the series, New York led after one, closing on a 10-3 run and going up 32-30.

With Towns picking up a third foul early, the Knicks had to shuffle lineups fast. Yet somehow, they stayed composed. Deuce McBride rose to the occasion again, knocking down a deep, contested three after a shake-and-bake move. Robinson’s activity on both ends remained vital, stealing passes, contesting shots, and staying perfect from the stripe.

The Celtics, though, began turning the screws. Al Horford exploited switches on smaller defenders, Brown hit a deep three over OG, and White kept the pressure high. Pritchard gave them an unexpected spark with tough step-back threes, while Boston's switching flustered Brunson, Payne, and Bridges.

Hart provided a brief cushion with back-to-back threes and was a bright spot throughout, finishing with 24 points. Still, Boston kept chipping away. White’s red-hot shooting, four-of-four from three at that point, was impossible to ignore.

The half ended in a deadlock after a hectic stretch that featured Brunson missing a floater at the buzzer. The Celtics were on a 13-2 run at one point in the quarter, but the Knicks found ways to fight back.

It was all square at 59 apiece as the second quarter came to a close.

The turning point of the game came in the third and it wasn’t subtle. After some early fire from Hart, who hit his fourth triple, Boston responded with relentless force. Kornet started turning into prime Mutombo, swatting shots left and right. He would end the night with nine blocks, but five of those came in this quarter alone, including rejections on Towns, Hart, and Brunson.

Meanwhile, White continued to torch New York. Whether it was a pull-up three, a catch-and-shoot dagger, or free throws earned from crafty pump fakes, he had the Knicks on their heels. A brutal 14-2 Celtics run saw the lead float up to double digits. Kornet then capped the momentum swing with a thunderous give-and-go slam, pairing it with defensive intimidation that completely took Towns out of rhythm.

As if it wasn't already a nightmare for the Knicks, their foul troubles kept piling up. Brunson picked up his fifth late in the quarter, adding to an already dire situation with Towns and Payne who were also in trouble. OG’s offense remained missing, and Bridges was cold as well.

By the end of the third, the Knicks had been outscored 32-17 and were trailing by 15, 91-76.

Things only got uglier from there.

Boston opened the fourth quarter with a Horford three and a flurry of ball movement that had the Knicks spinning. Bridges’ errant pass was picked off, leading to a tip-in by Horford, and Jrue Holiday drilled a triple that pushed the lead to 22.

Brunson tried to keep the Knicks afloat, but even he couldn't rescue this one. After getting fouled by Holiday, he split his free throws, then got sent back to the line again, only to later foul out with over seven minutes left on a debatable call that Coach Thibodeau challenged but ultimately lost. That was the final blow for the Knicks, and understandably so.

From there, Boston turned the Garden into a playground. Brown alley-ooped it to Kornet for an emphatic slam, White continued carving up the defense, and Pritchard’s shot-making compounded the pain. Even with Towns showing some life in the late and Hart hitting his fifth three, the Celtics' lead swelled to as much as 28 points.

The benches emptied with 2:34 to go, as Boston fans were already on their feet, clapping and cheering. The final buzzer simply confirmed the inevitable. The Celtics had stomped the Knicks in their own house to stay alive for a Game 6, and now the pressure shifts back to MSG for the Knicks to hopefully, finally close it out and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Overall, the defeated Knicks had only three players in double-digits. Hart led with 24 points including his five triples, Brunson planted 22 points and six assists, and Towns touched 19 points. And although Robinson didn’t quite reach double figures, he deserves credit for pulling down 13 rebounds and going a perfect 100% from the free-throw line, something Knicks fans rarely get to see.

On the other hand, the saving Celtics had six players in double-figures. White was red-hot from the triple tallying 34 points with seven made threes, Brown stepped in big-time especially with Tatum out (26-8-12), Pritchard piled on 17 points and five rebounds, Holiday hit 14 points, Horford added a dozen, and the magnetic hands of Luke Kornet delivered 10 points and 9 emphatic blocks against the Knicks.

Next up, the New York Knicks will be facing the Boston Celtics back at home for Game 6 at MSG (3-2) on Friday May 16, at 8:00 p.m. E.T. for a chance to finally secure the ECF after Boston saved themself from elimination in tonight's game.