The never-say-die Knicks did it again.
Down by 14 points in the third quarter of Game 4, the Knicks came roaring back for another improbable, instant-classic victory over the defending champion Boston Celtics.
And now the Knicks are one win away from their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000.
Jalen Brunson fueled the Knicks’ 121-113 win at Madison Square Garden on Monday night with 39 points – including 26 in the second half – and 12 assists to put the Knicks up 3-1 in the best-of-seven second-round playoff series.
He outdueled Boston’s Jayson Tatum, who finished with 42 points on 16-of-28 shooting but missed the final 2:58 of the game with what appeared to be a non-contact right leg injury.
Tatum had to be helped off of the court.
Karl-Anthony Towns gave the Knicks 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Mikal Bridges also scored 23. OG Anunoby added 20.
Boston shot just 6-of-23 from 3-point range in the second half.
The comeback was reminiscent of Games 1 and 2 in Boston, when the Knicks erased a pair of 20-point second-half deficits to win both games. Brunson averaged 10.0 points in those fourth quarters, while the Celtics shot a combined 4-of-26 on 3-point attempts.
Boston bounced back with a 113-95 win at the Garden in Saturday afternoon’s Game 3, during which it shot 20-of-40 on 3-pointers.
On Monday, the Knicks appeared to be in danger of a second straight loss at home when they fell behind 72-58 with 9:06 left in the third quarter. Tatum and Derrick White had just made back-to-back 3-pointers, making the Celtics 15-of-26 from behind the arc to that point.
But that’s when the Knicks erupted.
The Knicks scored nine consecutive points, including seven from Brunson. The final four points in that run came on a single possession.
Jaylen Brown was called for a flagrant foul when he didn’t give Brunson room to land on a 3-point attempt. Brunson’s left foot landed on Brown’s, leaving Brunson in visible pain, but he made two of the three throws, and the Knicks maintained possession. Bridges then hit a jumper to cut the deficit to 72-67.
Anunoby’s 3-pointer gave the Knicks an 86-85 lead with 32 seconds left in the quarter, and Josh Hart’s driving layup on the final possession of the period extended the lead to three.
Brunson scored 18 points in that third quarter, during which all five Knicks starters played all 12 minutes.
The Celtics missed their final seven 3-point attempts of the period.
Brunson – as he did throughout the Knicks’ first-round series against the Detroit Pistons – briefly disappeared into the tunnel to begin the fourth, but checked back in with 8:53 left in regulation.
The Knicks and Celtics traded baskets for nearly six minutes to begin the fourth quarter, and a three-point play by Tatum tied the game 102-102 with 6:12 to go.
But Anunoby made a 3-pointer on the next possession, putting the Knicks up 105-102, and they never trailed again.
Brunson scored eight points in the game’s final 5:04, with a 3-pointer that put the Knicks up 116-104 with 2:25 remaining serving as the dagger.
The Knicks closed the game on a 19-11 run.
Following Saturday’s Game 3 — a lopsided loss in which the Knicks never led — Brunson, Hart and head coach Tom Thibodeau all stressed the need to ramp up their urgency.
But the Knicks started slowly once again in Game 4.
Derrick White started 3-for-3 on 3-pointers in the game’s first 2:31, with excellent Boston ball movement finding an open White each time.
Brown added another 3-pointer about two minutes later, putting the Celtics up 16-6.
But the Knicks punched back with the type of response that eluded them as Game 3 got away from them. They rattled off an 11-0 run, with Brunson and Anunoby drilling back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Knicks a 17-16 lead.
The Knicks led 28-27 with 1:31 left in the first quarter, but the Celtics delivered a 12-0 run — on four consecutive 3-pointers — to close out the quarter.
Jayson Tatum made two of those 3-pointers, including a 26-footer that gave Boston the lead, followed by a 25-footer over Karl-Anthony Towns with 1.2 seconds left on the clock.
Boston finished 9-of-14 (64.5%) on 3-point attempts in the first quarter, after which it led 39-28.
But Boston finished just 18-of-48 from deep.
Anunoby played the entire first quarter, but after appearing to grab at his left leg, he disappeared into the tunnel and missed the start of the second. He returned to the Knicks’ bench shortly thereafter but did not re-enter the game until there was 5:16 left before halftime.
-The Knicks will look to close out the series on Wednesday night in Boston. They are 5-0 on the road this postseason.
