BoSocked; New York Knicks Silenced By Kristaps Porzingis, Boston Celtics

Kristaps Porzingis returned to action in style, playing a major role in the Boston Celtics' third victory over the New York Knicks this season.

The third time was anything but a charm for the New York Knicks.

Pressed into an extra matchup against the Boston Celtics, the Knicks once again saw their defense fail them as they dropped a 133-123 decision at TD Garden on Friday night. The meeting, already the third between New York and Boston this season, was set up by each side's loss in the quarterfinal round of the NBA In-Season Tournament three nights prior.

Kristaps Porzingis returned to Boston's parquet floor in style, scoring 21 points after missing four games with a calf injury. Porzingis scored Boston's first eight points as they got off to a hot start from deep, as they sank each of their first five three-point tries in a high-scoring first period. Derrick White led the way with 30 points for the Celtics while Jayson Tatum added 25 more on a night where Jaylen Brown was held scoreless in the first quarter. Brown eventually scored 17 points but was ejected on consecutive technicals for arguing with officials. 

Kristaps Porzingis (in green) dunks over Mitchell Robinson during Friday night's game / Eric Canha, USA TODAY SPORTS

All that and more, such as the Knicks making a change in the starting lineup (placing Donte DiVincenzo in Quentin Grimes' usual spot), weren't enough for the Knicks (12-9) to upset Boston (16-5) for an upset victory. 

With the loss, the Knicks' struggles against the elite teams of the Eastern Conference and beyond continued. New York is now 2-9 against teams with winning records and a combined 0-5 against the conference-leading Celtics and Bucks. Combined with their 146-122 loss to Milwaukee in Tuesday's IST quarterfinal, the Knicks posted a pairing of defensive ineptitude: the 277 points the Knicks gave up over the last two games are the most since at least the 1979-80 season and the 42 three-pointers allowed are the most in franchise history. 

Much like Tuesday's IST eliminator, the Knicks were able to keep pace in the early going before the bottom fell out over the latter two periods. New York trailed by a manageable nine at halftime despite allowing Boston to shoot over 58 percent from the field before their deficit reached as high as 20 in the third. A late 9-0 run allowed them to chop it down to 11 in the dying stages of the dozen, but Al Horford's triple sank with just over a second remaining to re-establish a commanding lead.

A few sporadic spurts over the final period allowed the Knicks to at least keep things interesting but it never got any closer than seven. Perhaps fortunately for the Knicks, they don't face the Celtics again until late February. 

Friday's loss might prove to be costly for the Knicks beyond the scoreboard: Jalen Brunson limped to the visitors' locker room with just over 20 seconds remaining while Mitchell Robinson played sparingly in the second half after spending extra time in the locker room during the halftime break. Brunson and RJ Barrett united for the team lead with 23 points in defeat. 

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Grimes was most effective in relief (as was 17-point scorer Immanuel Quickley), scoring 13 points on 5-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-7 from three-point range. It was Grimes' best scoring output since he had 17 in Nov. 3's loss to Milwaukee. Time will tell if Grimes is pressed back into the starting five with Brunson's ailment. 

For their next game, the Knicks will return home for a night before embarking on a five-game road trip. They'll face the Toronto Raptors at home on Monday night before racking up the miles (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).