Jayson Tatum getting hot and burying absurd shots with defenders draped all over him? You tip your cap and pray it’s not an elimination game.
But Kristaps Porziņģis splashing wide-open threes again because of New York’s sleepwalking scheme? That one burns the film before it’s even finished processing.
The Celtics beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden for the fourth time this season, a 119–117 overtime heartbreaker that doubled as Boston’s season sweep. The Knicks played their best game of the four, which is either encouraging or concerning depending on your lens — because even with a fully healthy roster, they still came up short.
Let’s sort through the good, the bad and the “are we serious with this again?”
ABSOLUTELY HATED: Knicks (again) fail to take the temperature
Situational awareness matters — and the Knicks lack it in glaring moments.
Porziņģis torched his former team for 34 points, his highest total since being traded for Dennis Smith Jr. and picks. He hit eight threes — most of them walk-ins — while punishing the exact same drop coverage New York used in its previous three losses to Boston. That scheme asks the big to sag into the paint after a screen, which makes no sense against a 7-3 sniper whose entire value proposition is pick-and-pop.
But it’s not just KP. And it’s not just stretch fives. This is a trend. San Antonio’s Sandro Mamukelashvili had a career night because the Knicks never put a body on the hot hand. Aaron Wiggins made them pay in OKC, too. Payton Pritchard dropped 25 off the bench in an earlier matchup against Boston. The common denominator? Nobody read the temperature. Nobody adjusted to the hot hand.
Some of it is philosophical. The Knicks’ scheme is built to protect the paint, which leaves them vulnerable to pop threats. But too often, it’s not just scheme — it’s sleepwalking. The best teams punish you for every nap. Boston’s done it four times. The concern is whether others will follow suit when the lights get brighter.
LIKED MOST: The Aggressive KAT
Boston put a wing on Karl-Anthony Towns, and Towns went full predator mode. He posted up nine times, scored on five of seven post attempts and recorded 22 first-half points.
So what did the Knicks do in the third quarter? They went away from him. Two shot attempts, oftentimes completed disconnected from the ongoing action with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
Coincidentally, the third quarter was also when the Celtics turned the game into their favor.
Towns showed something in the first half against Boston: That there’s more dog in this KAT than he’s been given credit. It’s time for the Knicks to take the leash off their hound, especially if opponents are going to dare him to bite — though it’s hard to gloss over his ill-advised fadeaway in overtime with the smaller Jrue Holiday guarding him.
INDIFFERENT: Tatum’s Shot-Making
Could the Knicks have been more aggressive defending Boston’s All-World scorer? Sure. But this isn’t a video game. The NBA is full of players who hit impossible shots. Tatum lives in that neighborhood — top floor, doorman, skyline view.
He finished with 32 points on 50% shooting and hit a back-breaking step-back three over OG Anunoby to force overtime. Sometimes elite offense just wins. This was one of those times.
But context matters. The Knicks didn’t just lose to Tatum’s greatness — they enabled it. Too often, they let him walk into rhythm threes, casually navigating screens against drop coverage without ever being picked up high. You’re not stopping Tatum. But if you can make his bread harder to butter, maybe those tough fall-aways don’t find the basket.
LIKED: Anunoby’s Response to a Cold Night
Anunoby’s shot wasn’t falling (0-of-5 from deep), and he touched the ball just 45 times — the fewest of any Knicks starter. But he didn’t let that affect the other parts of his game. He defended. He rebounded. He attacked. He bodied up Tatum during dead balls just to let him know he was there.
Still, the Knicks missed him wide open too many times, which is unacceptable for a player who averaged the same number over points per touch during Brunson’s absence as MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Hat’s off to Anunoby for keeping his effort high despite rightful frustration on the offensive end.
DISLIKED: More Boston Three-Point Carnage
Boston hit 19 threes — and frankly, it felt like more. They made 29 against New York on Opening Night. Then another 37 combined in two February meetings. That’s 85 threes in four games against the Knicks.
It wasn’t just pick-and-pop. It was transition. Offensive rebounds. Drive-swing-swing. If defending the three-point line is a playoff priority, this was a massive red flag.
INDIFFERENT: The Rotation Conversation
Tom Thibodeau played more guys than Joe Mazzulla. That wasn’t the issue. Mazzulla played his bench 77 minutes. Thibs gave his just 58. Margins matter, and the Celtics squeezed more out of theirs. Precious Achiuwa and Delon Wright both logged DNP’s against Boston on Tuesday. Wright made an impression during Brunson’s absence and could be an option for minutes.
DISLIKED: The Passive KAT
Three three-point attempts. One make.
Towns is shooting 42.3% from deep — a top-10 mark among qualified players. But he doesn’t rank in the top 100 in attempts per game, and he’s not even top-10 among centers in volume despite being one of the most accurate shooting bigs in the sport.
Volume matters — especially when your touch is this pure. If Towns wants to have nights where he hits six, seven, eight threes, he has to hunt them. Take 10. Let it fly. The Knicks can’t afford to leave that much firepower on the table in a game this close — especially against a team built to bury you from beyond the arc.
LIKED: Brunson, Back in Rhythm
After shaking off rust against Phoenix, Brunson looked like himself again: 27 points, 10 assists, and five threes — several of them after losing Holiday or foot-working his way into the paint.
He looked explosive.
He looked confident.
He looked like the captain.
If there’s one thing to feel great about heading toward the postseason, it’s that a player who missed a month of action looks like his old self two games in.
DISLIKED: The Disappearing Offense Around Him
Brunson touched the ball 106 times. Bridges and Anunoby combined for fewer. That’s not a problem in itself — he’s the star. But it is when those two combine to shoot 11-of-28 and 2-of-11 from three.
With Wright in at the point while Brunson was out, the ball moved. With Brunson back, it stuck: He averaged five dribbles per touch and had the ball in his hands for 9.9 of the 38.4 minutes he played on Tuesday
That doesn’t mean the answer is less Brunson. It just means the rest of the team has to keep moving, too.
There was far too much ball watching occurring for a team whose supplemental stars have proven they can play the main role, too.
DISLIKED: Crunch Time Execution
Bridges fumbled the inbounds pass. Brunson threw one away in overtime. Hart missed a game-winner at the buzzer in regulation when, in reality, it shouldn’t have been his shot to begin with.
It’s rare to see this team — a group known for closing games — lose composure late. But that’s what happened. Against Boston, those mistakes get punished.
They could be punished in the first round against a sharp Detroit Pistons team, too, if the Knicks don’t get their house in order before the playoffs.
