Jalen Brunson made two free throws with 12.7 seconds to play, lifting the New York Knicks to a 91-90 win over the host Boston Celtics on Wednesday and a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Boston had a chance to recover in the final seconds, but Mikal Bridges knocked the ball away from Jayson Tatum and New York took possession.
Josh Hart had a game-high 23 points for New York, which trailed by 20 points in the third quarter and by 16 in the fourth. The Knicks received 21 points and 17 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns. Bridges put up 14 points — all in the fourth quarter.
Brunson, finished with 17 points and a game-high seven assists, said of the decisive foul shots, “I got up there, heard the noise and then I just tried to block everything out. And then I made two.”
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, “We started slowly, got in a big hole, dug out way out and then guys made a lot of tough plays. (Our players) were at their best when their best was needed down the stretch.”
Derrick White and Jaylen Brown each scored 20 points for the Celtics.
“They made the necessary plays to win,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said of the Knicks. “We put ourselves in position to do that and we just didn’t make the plays (down the stretch).
“You just take a look at it and figure out where you have to be better and put a full 48 minutes together. Have an understanding that it’s going to be difficult, but that’s why we do what we do. Figure out where we have to get better and do that. We got to get on the road and we got to find a way to win.”
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be played Saturday in New York.
New York took its first lead on a Brunson layup that made it 87-86 with 1:59 to play. Another Brunson layup capped a 21-2 run that stretched New York’s lead to three points before two Tatum free throws pulled the Celtics within one point with 44.9 seconds left.
Boston took a 90-89 lead on a Tatum dunk with 18.5 seconds to go, but Brunson knocked down two free throws on the ensuing possession.
Tatum, who averaged 26.8 points per game during the regular season, was held to 13 points, but he grabbed 14 rebounds.
Boston also received eight points off the bench from Kristaps Porzingis, who didn’t play in the second half of Game 1 because of an illness. Porzingis played 14 minutes in Game 2.
The Celtics played without Sam Hauser, who sustained an ankle injury in the third quarter of Game 1.
Boston led 24-13 after one quarter on Wednesday and 50-41 at halftime. The Celtics were up by 16 before the Knicks finished the second quarter on an 11-4 run. Tatum was held to two points in the first half.
The Celtics extended their lead to 70-50 on a Porzingis dunk with 4:05 remaining in the third, but New York scored the final eight points in the quarter to cut Boston’s lead to 73-61 entering the final frame.
Boston was again foiled by poor 3-point shooting. The Celtics were 10 of 40 (25 percent) from long range on Wednesday after going 15 of 60 (25 percent) in their overtime loss on Monday, when they also squandered a 20-point lead.
“The way the game goes now, you can make up ground a lot quicker with the way teams shoot threes,” Thibodeau said. “For the writers around us, they always think every lead is safe, but it’s not. Everything does matter.”
Knicks rally for another road win over Celtics, lead set 2-0
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Knicks rally for another road win over Celtics, lead set 2-0
Late Nandez winner keeps Al-Qadsiah’s title hopes alive
- Al-Qadsiah move to 47 points, 3 behind leaders Al-Hilal, who are yet to play on Matchday 22
- Al-Taawoun fairytale run loses steam as Pericles Chamusca’s side continue difficult spell
RIYADH: All signs pointed to an unlikely title charge for Al-Qadsiah when they held Al-Hilal to a 2-2 draw in Dammam at the end of January.
Since then, it has been a testing period for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
While they remain unbeaten under the Northern Irishman, Al-Qadsiah have struggled to replicate their earlier intensity as fatigue begins to take its toll.
Despite those challenges, Al-Qadsiah have collected seven points from their last nine, with a dramatic late winner from Nahitan Nandez securing a valuable 1-0 victory over a resilient NEOM side. The road to those three points was anything but easy.
Al-Qadsiah should have been ahead inside three minutes. A high press initiated by Julian Quinones and Mateo Retegui forced NEOM goalkeeper Luis Maximiano into a costly error, with his attempted clearance falling straight to the Italian. The 2024/25 Serie A top scorer struck the post with the goal at his mercy, allowing NEOM to breathe a sigh of relief.
What followed was a tactical battle between Rodgers and Christophe Galtier.
The hosts made a few changes from their previous outing, with Nandez occupying the right flank instead of Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, while Ali Hazazi slotted into midfield.
NEOM mirrored the system, with their wingers tracking Nandez and Christopher Bonsu Baah as they dropped into a 5-4-1 defensive shape. Faris Abdi was a key outlet for the visitors, surging down the left flank on multiple occasions to support Luciano Rodriguez and Alexandre Lacazette.
It was Rodriguez and Lacazette who fashioned NEOM’s most dangerous chances of the night.
In the 38th minute, Koen Casteels denied Rodriguez with a powerful save. Minutes later, a cutback found Lacazette inside the box, but Casteels was again equal to the effort.
The Belgian emerged as the standout performer, making seven saves to keep Al-Qadsiah in contention. His efforts almost went unrewarded, however, as Retegui failed to convert further chances and Quinones endured his first game in 10 without a goal contribution.
Al-Qadsiah eventually grabbed the winner in the dying moments when a cross from Bonsu Baah was flicked on by new signing Waleed Al-Ahmed into the path of Nandez. The Uruguayan powered home what could prove to be the most valuable goal of the season, keeping Al-Qadsiah firmly in the title hunt.
Elsewhere, Damac enjoyed a perfect start under new manager Fabio Carille, as the Knights from the South secured their second win of the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Al-Taawoun.
Yakou Meite scored twice to give Damac their first win since late December, while Al-Taawoun drifted further from the top four after another match without victory.
The result moves Damac three points clear of Al-Riyadh in 16th place, easing immediate relegation concerns.
Meanwhile, Omar Al-Somah continued his pursuit of the all-time Saudi Pro League scoring record with a late winner for Al-Hazem. The hosts defeated Al-Okhdood 2-1 to climb temporarily into 11th, 12 points clear of the drop zone.
Saudi Pro League action returns on Friday, with Al-Shabab hosting Al-Ahli in Riyadh, Al-Hilal welcoming Al-Ettifaq and Al-Ittihad facing Al-Fayha to close out the day’s action.
