After a pair of uncharacteristic performances in Games 1 and 2 of its Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks, in which the Boston Celtics shot a combined 25-for-100 from beyond the arc, the defending NBA champions finally found their form. Boston shot a much more characteristic 20-for-40 from deep in Saturday’s Game 3, setting the stage for a crowd-silencing 115-93 victory at Madison Square Garden.
The Celtics now trail the best-of-seven series, 2-1, with Game 4 slated for Monday night in New York. Boston has won its last five games at Madison Square Garden, including the regular season.
Pritchard & Tatum Come Up Big
“Obviously we’re disappointed after Game 2. We’re competitors,” said NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner Payton Pritchard, who paced the Celtics offense with 23 points. “We let it slip, but you got to move on to the next one. You’ve got to take care of Game 3. It’s a must-win and now it’s on to Game 4. We’ve got to have the same mindset coming in and trying to bring it to 2-2 and bring it back home.”
Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 23 points Saturday in Game 3.
Pritchard’s timely 23-point performance — off the bench, mind you — was a career-playoff best, fueled by a 5-for-10 effort from deeps and, perhaps more importantly, no turnovers. He also finished with four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Boston also benefited from the play of six-time All-Star Jayson Tatum, who acknowledged heading into the contest that he needed to play better than in Games 1 and 2 if his team hoped to climb out of its 2-0 deficit. Well, he did precisely that Saturday, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
“I wasn’t trying to prove anything today to anybody,” said Tatum, who shot 5-for-9 from deep. “It was an important game. It was important for us to respond as a team and just wanted to come out here and win. And that’s all that was really on my mind.”
Jayson Tatum scored 22 points Saturday in Game 3 against the New York Knicks.
Who Did What?
The Celtics had five players finish in double figures in the scoring column, with Jaylen Brown (19 points, six rebounds, five assists), Derrick White (17 points, five rebounds, two assists), and Al Horford (15 points, nine rebounds, two blocks) also making their impact felt. Jrue Holiday (eight points, four assists) hit two of three attempts from beyond the arc, and Kristaps Porzingis (five points, four rebounds, three blocks) made his presence known defensively in just 19 minutes of action.
New York, meanwhile, was led by a game-high 27-point effort from Jalen Brunson, followed by Karl-Anthony Towns with 21 points and 15 rebounds, Mikal Bridges with 12 points, and Josh Hart with 10 points. The Knicks finished with 11 turnovers, compared to the eight surrendered by Boston, and shot 5-for-25 from beyond the arc.
End Of My Celtics Rant
The Celtics now have the chance to even up the series at 2-2 and potentially take back home-court advantage as the series shifts back to Boston for Game 5. While many in New York may have been counting their proverbial chickens with their team up 2-0, conventional thinking, as well as that of bookkeepers in Vegas, remains that it’s still a matter of how long (not if) it will take the Celtics to advance.
“You got to beat us four times. That’s what it comes down to,” Brown said. “Not twice, not once, not three. Four games. So it’s a lot of basketball to be played.”
