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C, 3, Oh No! Knicks Can't Handle Celtics History in Saturday Loss

The Boston Celtics hit 27 three-pointers to subs to sink the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

Geoff Magliocchetti

Three-pointers shifted several fates at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Alas for the hosting New York Knicks, the most notable triple sunk in their colors came from someone sitting in MSG's viewing area rather than the sidelines, the lucky spectator winning himself a new car in the process.

No such luck awaited those wearing Knick jerseys during game action: the visiting Boston Celtics put down 27 triples in their first visit to Manhattan of the 2022-23 season. Leading scorers Jaylen Brown (30) and Jayson Tatum (26) sank six each, their combined dozen outpacing the Knicks' countering 11 en route to a 133-118 victory for the defending Eastern Conference champions. 

Boston's three-point tally set a new franchise record, with Brown and Tatum closely followed by Sam Hauser, who hit five off the bench en route to a 17-point evening. Wasted in the Knicks' box score were big scoring nights from Julius Randle (29), RJ Barrett (27), and Jalen Brunson (22) as well as a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double for Isaiah Hartenstein, who started in place of the injured Mitchell Robinson.

With each team recovering from a victorious Friday, the Knicks (4-5) withstood several Boston rushes to keep things close. They first erased an early 15-5 deficit in the opening frame by outscoring the Celtics 24-17 over the final seven-plus minutes. Boston's triple barrage rebuilt a double-figure lead but another big run, this of 22-8 fashion, seemed poised to give the Knicks a halftime lead. Derrick White's buzzer-beater off a Grant Williams miss gave Boston (6-3) a slim lead at intermission at 67-66, but the Knicks were nonetheless putting up a consistent effort.

But in a cruelly poetic twist, it was a three-pointer that sealed the Knicks' fate: the teams traded baskets over the first two minutes of the final frame before Blake Griffin's triple with 9:23 left in the third eternally put the lead on the Celtics' side. Though the Knicks only lost the period by four points, Boston's seven triples would up spelling their doom, as the Knicks were unable to cut further into the lead in the final frame, which they lost by 10 as the affair became increasingly desperate. New York shot 41 percent from three as it dropped its fourth contest in the last five games including consecutive showings at MSG.

New York and Boston will do battle again on Jan. 26 at TD Garden. The Knicks return to action late Monday night when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road (9:15 p.m. ET, MSG). 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

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