After back-to-back 20-point comebacks in Games 1 and 2, the New York Knicks got blown out in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden by the Boston Celtics, 115-93, on Saturday.
“They got the lead early,” said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau. “I thought we missed some shots early that impacted us. They got confidence early in the game.”
The Celtics missed 75 three-pointers combined over the first two games of the series, which was the most in NBA history. Even though they went 25-of-100, each game went down to the final buzzer.
It was a matter of time before the Celtics started to knock down their three-point field goals. Boston went 20-of-40 from behind the arc, making it a 2-1 series lead for the Knicks.
“We’ve got to be better,” Thibodeau said. “They got some clean looks early, and they see it go in, that gives them confidence, and it’s hard to shut them off. We have to have greater awareness – we can’t allow missed shots to take away from defense tenacity. We gotta bounce back.”
Game 3 was a must-win for the Celtics, considering they lost home-court advantage by dropping the first two games of the series. If they can win Game 4 to even the series before shipping back up to Boston, the Knicks might not win another game.
In a game that could’ve put the nail in the coffin for the Celtics, New York came out flat and lacked intensity out of the gates yet again.
“No one’s gonna shoot great every night,” Thibodeau said. “There’s gonna be nights you don’t shoot it that well, but do other things to help the team win.”
“I don’t think we came with the mindset of being satisfied, but I think it was just subconsciously satisfied being up 2-0,” said Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson. “Just not the way we need to approach the game.”
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum finally got things going, but it was Payton Pritchard who gave New York the most trouble. Pritchard poured in 23 points and went five-of-nine (55.5%) from three-point land.
Tatum poured in 22, while adding nine rebounds and seven assists, just shy of a triple-double. Brown added 19 points of his own, while snatching six boards and dished out five assists.
Despite Brunson’s 27-point performance, the Knicks trailed by 20-plus points for the entirety of the second half. Even if New York started to find somewhat of a groove offensively, the Celtics would match it with a run of their own, suffocating the Knicks all game.
Karl-Anthony Towns even added a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double, but Boston was just too dominant offensively for New York’s defense.
It wasn’t ever really a close game, but the Knicks also missed 11 free-throws, as they went 24-35 from the charity stripe. Whenever Mitchell Robinson touches the ball in the paint, the Celtics foul him. It’s the perfect strategy, considering he shot four-of-12 from the line in this one and has gone seven-of-23 (30.4%) in the series.
Neither team has won at home thus far, but a win in Game 4 for New York could all but clinch the series heading back to Boston.
The Knicks are back in action on Monday, May 12, for Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
