What Stood Out in Celtics Win Over Knicks: Both Teams Land Second-Half Haymakers

From Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier stepping up in a revenge game to Josh Richardson delivering his best game as a Celtic, here's what stood out from a matchup where both teams landed haymakers in the second half.

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Playing on the second half of a back-to-back, the Boston Celtics climbed back to .500 with a 114-107 win against the New York Knicks on Saturday. Both teams played with depleted rosters, largely thanks to health and safety protocol-related absences.

Despite that concerning reality, after the Celtics took a fifteen-point lead into halftime, the Knicks responded with a 15-2 run in the third quarter, ultimately outscoring Boston 41-24 and taking a two-point lead into the final frame. That forced the Celtics to respond with a counterpunch of their own. Otherwise, they'd have to deal with arguably their worst loss of the season.

Here's what stood out from a game where the competitive spirit and intensity ratcheted up in the second half.

Richardson and Pritchard Boost Boston's Short-Handed Bench

With eight Celtics players inactive, including Al Horford, Grant Williams, Dennis Schroder, and Romeo Langford, Josh Richardson and Payton Pritchard provided a needed spark for Boston off the bench.

In the first half, the duo outscored the Knicks' bench 22-0. They finished the game with a combined 43 points. The two outscored the three players on New York who came off the bench, Mitchell Robinson, Taj Gibson, and Wayne Selden, 47-3.

Richardson had his best game as a Celtic, scoring a team-high 27 points on 9/14 shooting, including 5/7 from beyond the arc, and he generated four more points at the free-throw line. He also grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists, swiped three steals, and registered a plus-minus rating of +12.

Pritchard ended the night with 16 points, knocking down six of his ten shots, including four of his seven long-range attempts.

Knicks Steamroll Celtics in Third Quarter

Friday against the Warriors, the Celtics outscored Golden State 27-14 in the third frame, relying on raising their energy and physicality to propel themselves back into the game. On Saturday, in the third quarter, their performance looked more like it did in the first half against Golden State.

Boston didn't drive to the basket nearly enough. Too often, the Celtics went one-on-one and settled for jump shots. Defensively, they regularly got caught playing flat-footed. In turn, the Knicks shot 12/22 (54.5 percent) from the field, including a blistering 7/13 (53.8 percent) from three, and they produced ten points at the free-throw line. New York went on a 15-2 run during the third frame, erasing a 15-point deficit and outscoring Boston 41-24, taking a two-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier Step Up Against Former Team

Walker and Fournier have had disappointing seasons; the former fell out of the Knicks' rotation. But on Saturday, playing with a depleted roster, including Derrick Rose being inactive, Tom Thibodeau had no choice but to turn to Walker. Playing against their former team, who traded the former and chose not to re-sign the latter, it's no surprise both players were extra motivated to step up on Saturday.

Fournier finished with a game-high 32 points on 13/24 shooting, including 4/10 from three. Walker scored 29 points, made 5/11 threes, produced eight points at the free-throw line, and corralled six rebounds. Walker fouled out with 2:06 left to play, making it that much easier for the Celtics to fend off the Knicks.

Celtics Answer in the Final Frame

After the Knicks hit the Celtics with a haymaker in the third quarter, the Celtics responded in the fourth quarter. Boston went on a 7-0 run early in the final frame. Later, the Celtics went on an 18-8 run. Richardson's energy, effort on the defensive end, and shot making offensively went a long way towards closing out Saturday's win against a depleted Knicks roster. Twelve of his 27 points came in the fourth quarter.

Tatum scored seven points in the fourth quarter, only hoisting one three as part of a concerted effort to attack the basket, which applies to the team as a collective. Tatum finished with 25 points.

Up Next

The Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. Tip-off is at 7:30 EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

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