It certainly wasn’t the biggest game being played by a Boston sports team on Sunday, but ahead of Super Bowl 60 between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, the Boston Celtics played a pretty big game of their own.
Boston hosted the New York Knicks, a team it has been jockeying with for second place in the Eastern Conference for most of the season.
Hopefully, the Patriots have a different result.
Boston fell to New York 111-89, ending the Celtics’ five-game win streak.
Six Knicks finished in double figures, led by Jalen Brunson’s 31 points and eight assists. Josh Hart added 19 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns finished with an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double.
For Boston, Jaylen Brown led the team in scoring for the 36th time this season with 26 points, while Derrick White added 19 points and four assists.
The loss marks just Boston’s sixth by double-digits this season and just their second by 15+ points.
“We take it on the chin and move on to the next,” Brown said.
Here are eight takeaways from the Celtics’ penultimate game before the All-Star break.
Jalen Brunson gave the Knicks an early lead
Behind 15 points (6-of-9 FG, 2-of-4 3PT) and four assists from Jalen Brunson, the Celtics fell behind by 11 after the first quarter.
Boston was never able to erase that lead.
As a team, the Knicks shot 15-of-24 (62.5%) from the field and 4-of-10 (40%) from three. Conversely, the Celtics shot 9-of-26 (34.6%) from the field and 2-of-13 (15.4%) from deep. That shooting variance is tough to overcome, as Boston was outscored 35-24.
New York also dominated Boston in transition, scoring nine fast-break points.
Brunson’s 15 points were tied for the most against the Celtics in an opening frame this season (Utah’s Keyonte George also had 15 in December).
The Knicks pulled away in the third quarter
The Celtics worked the Knicks’ lead down to just four just 3:12 into the third quarter. From that point on, Boston was outscored 20-7, highlighted by a 15-3 run over the final 5:47 of the quarter, which turned a five-point deficit into a 17-point one entering the fourth quarter.
Jaylen Brown scored 13 of Boston’s 15 (!) points in the third quarter, shooting 5-of-11 (45.5%). The rest of the Celtics shot 1-of-14 (7%). As a team, the Celics shot 0-of-10 from three.
Boston’s dominant defensive streak comes to an end
Over their five-game win streak, the Celtics held each of their opponents to 100 points or fewer, their longest such streak since 2018. Opponents averaged just 92.2 points per game.
That streak ended on Sunday afternoon.
New York scored 111 points on 40-of-83 (48.2%) shooting from the field and 14-of-35 (40.%) from three, turning the fewest turnovers Boston has forced since Toronto’s six on January 9.
If not for the 35 points allowed in the first quarter, the Celtics probably could’ve kept the streak alive, as Boston allowed just 25 points in the second and third quarters, and 26 in the fourth quarter.
The offense was … ugly
It was a tough night offensively for the Celtics.
Their 89 points were a season low as they shot 34-of-92 (37.0%) from the field and 7-of-41 (17.1%) from three. Their seven made threes were also a season-low.
“We created a bunch of open looks. Just got to step in with confidence and knock them down,” Brown said. “I think offensively, we did a good job creating advantages. Just got to make some shots we didn’t make today. It happens. They made shots, and I think that was the difference.”
Baylor Schiereman was doing the dirty work
One of the biggest reasons the Celtics were able to hang around in this game was Baylor Schiereman doing the dirty work, particularly on the glass. In his seventh start of the season, Schiereman pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds. He also handed out a career-high five assists to go along with 10 points.
The second-year pro has now posted double-digit rebounding performances in two of his last three games, after recording none over his first 76 career appearances. He’s also notched double-doubles in two of his last three games after having zero prior to this stretch.
“Obviously, his offensive rebounding. But his rebounding outside of his area is a big one,” Joe Mazzulla said. “Whether he’s boxing the guy out, or whether he’s on the perimeter, he comes back and crashes defensively and gets those. That helps us get out in transition. But you know, I think he’s playing at a great level for us defensively, and on the rebounding piece, on both ends.”
It may not always jump off the page on a night-to-night basis, but the 25-year-old has filled his role well this season, consistently impacting different areas and pockets of the game.
It was a tough day for Neemias Queta
Neemias Queta has been remarkably consistent for the Celtics all season, developing into every bit of a starting-caliber center. Sunday afternoon, however, was not his day.
He looked out of sorts throughout the game, a stretch that was perhaps best summed up when he grabbed an offensive rebound over Jalen Brunson and, instead of going back up over the much smaller guard, fired a cross-court pass that was picked off and turned into a Karl-Anthony Towns transition dunk. Joe Mazzulla immediately called a timeout and gave the big man an earful.
Queta finished with just four points and five rebounds in 22 minutes, while also picking up five fouls and committing three turnovers, both game highs.
Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic struggled to score off the bench
Payton Pritchard had been on a tear since moving to the bench. In his three games as a reserve entering Sunday, Pritchard averaged 25.7 points on 52.7 percent shooting from the field and 45.8 percent from three, along with 5.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds. He was a plus-21 over that stretch.
Sunday didn’t come as easily. Pritchard finished with just six points on 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) shooting from the field and 1-of-6 (16.7 percent) from deep, though he did hand out seven assists.
Coming off a strong debut Friday night, Nikola Vucevic also struggled. He finished with 11 points on 5-of-13 (38.5 percent) shooting and 1-of-6 (16.7 percent) from three, adding six rebounds but committing two turnovers.
Overall, the Celtics’ bench managed just 24 points.
Derrick White lost a bet
Colorado native Derrick White is a die-hard Broncos fan. Prior to New England’s AFC Championship Game against Denver, White told reporters he was sticking with his Broncos even with Jarrett Stidham under center, citing the Patriots’ past postseason struggles in Denver.
As it turns out, more than just pride was on the line.
White arrived at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon wearing a Patriots helmet and jersey after losing a bet with Celtics trainer Nick Sang. As he walked down the hallway, White hyped up the Broncos’ chances next season before stopping to pose for a photo with Sang.
“Tough bet to lose. Man, Broncos. We had it, too,” White said. “I’ve moved on. Although wearing the jersey and the helmet today kind of brought it back. But I’ve moved on. I just hope it’s an entertaining game. But yeah, now I’m all in on next season. Bo Nix is coming back. Got a lot of upside in Denver. But best of luck to everybody in the Super Bowl today.”
Had the Broncos won, Sang would have had to go to the Super Bowl wearing a Broncos jersey.
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