Inside The Celtics

The Top 5 Plays from Saturday's Celtics-Knicks Game

The top five plays from Saturday's game between the Celtics and Knicks are headlined by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown teaming up for highlight-reel plays at both ends of the court.

Bobby Krivitsky

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
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The top five plays from Saturday's game between the Celtics and Knicks feature Derrick White's buzzer-beating putback and Boston's ball movement producing an open three for Jaylen Brown. There's also Jayson Tatum benefitting from Brown making the extra pass, Tatum earning a Tommy point, and the Celtics star helping his team close out Saturday's win.

Derrick White's Buzzer-Beating Putback

When Grant Williams gets the ball in the left corner, Jalen Brunson, on the opposite side of the court, looks back at Derrick White, but he never boxes him out.

White capitalizes, crashing the glass from the baseline, tracking the shot's trajectory, then elevating for the rebound and the putback to beat the buzzer.

Beautiful Ball Movement Leads to an Open Three for Jaylen Brown

Bobbing behind RJ Barrett, Brunson overpursues while trying to stay in front of Malcolm Brogdon. When the latter goes into his move, the former's working with a narrow base that compromises his posture.

Brogdon easily gets into the paint, and Julius Randle reacts late. When Cam Reddish sprints over to help protect the rim, Marcus Smart's open in the corner. While Barrett could justify staying with Jaylen Brown, he heads over to Smart.

Reddish does his best to contest Brown's three, but the latter knocks down a clean look from the left wing.

Jayson Tatum's Tommy Point

Brogdon stays glued to Brunson, forcing a miss at the rim, and when Isaiah Hartenstein goes up for the putback, Jayson Tatum swats his shot from behind as Brown also elevates to contest. Tatum then caps the play by tracking down the loose ball and spiking it out of bounds off Cam Reddish to end the possession.

Jaylen Brown Makes the Extra Pass, Jayson Tatum Drills the Three

Brown curls off a staggered screen, headlined by Smart doing an outstanding job as an impediment to Randle's ability to get back to Brown. That get's the latter an open look from above the break, pulling Barrett off Tatum to contest Brown.

Brown elevates like he's about to launch a three no one would blame him for taking, but he swings the ball to Tatum, who drills a three from the left wing.

Tatum Takes Julius Randle Off the Dribble

With the shot clock at eight seconds, Randle looks like he has Tatum trapped, and by denying him a path to the middle of the paint, he's also taking away a potential pass to Brown, which is only available for a split second.

But when Tatum starts pivoting, Randle needs to keep his front foot ahead to prevent the Celtics star from doing what he does, getting all the way to the cup, bringing the ball up and over the swipe from Hartenstein, and finishing off the glass with his right hand.

Further Reading

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Knicks: Boston Sets Franchise Record for Threes and Saves Its Best Quarter for Final Frame

It Sounds Like Jayson Tatum is Loving What he's Seeing from Malcolm Brogdon

The Top 5 Plays from Friday's Celtics-Bulls Game

Eager to Skip Ahead to the Playoffs, the Celtics Must Not Squander the Time Leading Up to It

Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown Strongly Weigh In On Ime Udoka-Nets Rumors

Jayson Tatum Reflects On How Celtics' NBA Finals Run Has Changed Perspective

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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