Knicks Stun Celtics with an Epic Game 1 Comeback in OT
- Sarah Al-Refae
- May 5
- 6 min read
Thanks to Clutch Captain Brunson, OG’s barrage of threes, and Bridges’ defensive instincts, the Knicks erased a 20-point deficit to outlast Boston in a thrilling Game 1 overtime win.
Game 1 tipped off with the Boston Celtics winning the opening tip, but it was New York who struck first. It started with Josh Hart tipping in a Mikal Bridges miss to get New York on the board. From there, it was a gritty opening stretch filled with turnovers, missed shots, and hustle plays. Boston came out cold from three, starting just two-for-eight from deep, but Jayson Tatum started to heat up, which swung momentum toward Boston’s way.
Defensively, Mikal Bridges was tasked with the exhausting job of chasing Kristaps Porzingis at times, and while he got a rejection early on, Porzingis’ monstrous size produced spacing issues. On the other end, Derrick White filled up the stat sheet by knocking down big-time shots, grabbing boards, and even swatting Bridges on a fast-break opportunity.
As for Josh Hart, he slashed early into the paint for a slick finish, but foul trouble soon caught up with him as he picked up two quick personals, including one after a turnover that led to a massive Tatum steal. On top of that, Hart made a costly mistake attempting to lob it to Karl-Anthony Towns, who was completely unaware and unready for it; thinking Hart would pull the trigger himself from the top of the key since he was left wide-open.
With Hart on the bench and the Knicks struggling at the line (just three-for-eight), New York leaned on Miles McBride for a jolt. He delivered with two corner threes, and OG Anunoby chipped in with a pair of triples as well.
Still, Tatum’s late-quarter scoring binge gave Boston a narrow 26-25 lead after the first quarter.
The second quarter started neck-and-neck, but everything started falling apart for the Knicks the moment that Karl-Anthony Towns picked up his third foul. With Towns forced to the bench early, New York’s interior presence vanished and Boston took the edge, outscoring the Knicks 35-20 in the second and building a 16-point halftime lead.
From the get-go, Towns was aggressive in the post, muscling past defenders for buckets and creating mismatches. He scored on a spinning jumper off a Bridges assist and looked poised to dominate. However, that was until he picked up his third foul on a Jaylen Brown drive, which changed everything. From there, the Celtics pounced. Pritchard drilled a three off a Porzingis screen, Jrue Holiday attacked the paint with ease, and Brown continued to exploit switches, specifically against Brunson’s smaller six-foot-two frame.
Brunson, trying to answer back, earned multiple trips to the line (finishing six-for-seven by the end of the game), while the rest of the Knicks remained inconsistent from the stripe. Free throws unfortunately continued to plague them (just five-for-11 by halftime), while Boston played more poised and methodical. Their ball movement created open looks, and although they didn’t hit everything, the sheer volume of second-chance opportunities wore down New York.
Deuce McBride and OG Anunoby couldn’t connect on the perimeter here either, and even with Josh Hart crashing the boards relentlessly and consecutively, the Knicks couldn’t stop Boston’s flow. Brown capped his stellar half with a fake-and-finish move against Brunson, followed by an alley-oop lay from Pritchard. To add: Boston had zero turnovers in the second. Ouch.
The Celtics dazzled their home crowd at TD Garden throughout the first half, while the Knicks limped into halftime trailing 61-45.
The third quarter was a tale of two halves: one where the Knicks looked completely out of sync, and the other where they clawed their way back into striking distance with gritty defense and timely shooting. It opened with a Mikal Bridges trey, but that spark was short-lived. It was also announced on broadcast that Kristaps Porzingis was ruled questionable to return due to an illness (non-covid related), yet the Celtics kept surging, building their lead to as many as 20 behind Derrick White’s red-hot shooting and Al Horford’s veteran touch.
For Karl-Anthony Towns, this quarter was one to forget for the ages. Already saddled with foul trouble, he added a careless offensive charge for his fourth and couldn’t get anything going on either end. Towns’ frustration boiled over with a blocked jumper by White and a bad turnover that shot out of bounds. He was quickly sent back to the bench after a brutal stint that left Knicks fans shaking their heads.
But just when it looked like the game might spiral out of control, the Knicks saved face. Josh Hart nailed a vital corner three, OG Anunoby came alive with back-to-back triples (his third and fourth of the night), and Brunson kept the engine running with a hard-working, crafty mid-range shot and a deep three off a Hart hustle play. New York pieced together a 9-0 run, cutting the lead to single digits now.
Though Tatum finally reawakened late with two huge triples after going quiet since the first quarter, it was Hart’s relentless effort on both ends and Anunoby’s surge along the perimeter that sparked real hope.
The Knicks dominated the quarter 30-23 and were heading into the final quarter down by just nine, 84-75.
The fourth quarter was pure chaos. After trailing by as much as 20, the Knicks unleashed a furious rally, tying the game 100-100 at the buzzer to force overtime in an instant Game 1 classic.
Boston opened the quarter ice-cold, missing numerous shots despite second-chance opportunities from Kornet. The Knicks swarmed on defense and finally started capitalizing. Deuce McBride nailed a massive corner three to slice the lead to six. Josh Hart, relentless all night, created another chance with a gritty hustle play that led to a Towns finish inside the paint. Then Mr. Reliable, OG Anunoby, tied it at 86 with a fast-break slam off a steal from Tatum, sending a jolt of energy through the crowd as well as the Knicks’ bench.
With the Celtics clinging to a two-point lead, Captain Clutch delivered like none other. He did this by rising up and burying a cold-blooded step-back three over Al Horford, giving New York its first lead since early in the second quarter (33-31).
Then, Brunson did it again. Off a broken play, he reset himself, stepped back, and drilled another triple (his fifth of the night)!
Just like that, the Knicks were up six, and the Captain was in full effect.
After that, Boston answered with a flurry. Holiday hit a triple, White added another, and Brown knifed in a layup. But, OG responded with a go-ahead three and Brunson had a chance to win it at the horn with a floater in the paint, which was left wide-open, but it rolled right off the rim.
That being said, New York was heading into overtime at TD Garden, tied at 100 with Boston.
During overtime, the Knicks took control, and this time, they never gave it back. Despite a rocky start to the extra quarter, New York’s resilience and clutch shot-making pushed them over the top for a thrilling 108-105 win in Game 1.
Brunson, who had owned the fourth quarter, came out firing in OT but misfired on back-to-back threes. Josh Hart picked up his fourth foul shortly after, and the offense briefly stalled. But Mikal Bridges made up for it. He deflected a Jrue Holiday three, then moments later picked Tatum’s pocket, which led to a thunderous jab-step dunk from OG Anunoby, plus the foul on the fast-break. The and-one bucket gave the Knicks a burst of momentum they wouldn’t let go of.
Boston struggled mightily. Tatum air-balled a fadeaway, Derrick White clanked a triple, and the Celtics were called for a shot-clock violation. Meanwhile, Bridges delivered on the other end with a massive corner three to stretch the lead to six.
Tatum finally got one to go off the glass, but every Boston bucket was met with an answer from the blue and orange. Brunson missed a drive, but Towns was there to clean it up with a much-needed tip-in. Holliday skied in the air for a rebound, and Brown plummeted a deep three to cut it close, but that would be Boston’s final gasp of air.
With three seconds left and the Knicks up three, Boston had one last chance.
White inbounded the ball to Brown, but Bridges read it perfectly, leaping in for the steal (his second of overtime) and holding on with all his might. Bridges' heroic play drained the final seconds and ultimately sealed the Knicks' Game 1 victory over the Celtics.
Overall, five Knicks players rose up victorious with double-digits: both Brunson and OG matching with 29 points, with OG knocking down six triples and Brunson hitting five of his own. Towns and Hart each added 14 points, both recording double-doubles, while Deuce chipped in 11 points with three massive treys.
On the other side, the defeated Celtics also had five players in double-figures. Tatum and Brown finished with 23 points apiece, with Tatum also racking up 16 rebounds and six assists in a stellar stat-line despite the loss. White added 19 points, Holiday contributed 16, and Pritchard poured in 13 for Boston.
And, of course, I saved the best for last...
Next up, the New York Knicks will face the Boston Celtics for Game 2 back at TD Garden, with a chance to go up 2-0, on Wednesday, May 7, at 7:00 p.m. E.T.
Comments