Celtics arise in time to avoid loss to struggling Knicks

NEW YORK — There were three basic reasons why the Celtics defeated the Knicks, 113-104, on Sunday afternoon.

1. It took them until the fourth quarter, but they finally remembered how to play defense.

2. They got 30 points from Jayson Tatum and 28 from Jaylen Brown, nine and 11 in the last period, respectively.

3. They’re not the New York Knickerbockers.

For most of this affair, it appeared the hosts were poised to snap their five-game losing streak and hand the Celts their fourth consecutive road loss. The New Yorkers led by as many as nine and were still ahead by a healthy six with eight minutes to go. That was still ample time for anything to happen, but the C’s had been making little happened in a sustained way until then.

And this wasn’t a “one of those games” kind of things. The Celtics have been slip-sliding of late, and while it was nice for them to steer out of this skid, improvement is certainly needed.

Brad Stevens was discussing a Robert Williams turnover when he added, “My frustration does not lie in the mistakes. It lies in (that) I think our approach has to improve as a team (from what) it has been the last couple weeks, especially, as has been documented, at the beginning of games.”

The Celts gave up 30 points in the first quarter here, but they scored 31. The Knicks then built their edge with better aggression.

A Tatum jumper and Brown 3-pointer started the comeback in the fourth. After a Julius Randle jumper, Semi Ojeleye and Tatum hit treys to bookend a burst of 12 straight points, and three straight Brown hoops answered any Knick uprising, bringing the Celtic lead to 11 with 1:40 left.

Seven seconds later with Randle at the free throw line, Greenhearts in Madison Square Garden began a “Let’s go Celtics” chant, bringing hoots from Knick fans who nonetheless could see this loss coming down 7th Avenue — even through the snow and sleet.

What the Celtics didn’t take with renewed interest in defense, the Knicks handed over with bad turnovers and silly decisions.

This was one of those games where the Celts had to hang around and hope they could raise their level of intensity before it was too late.

“No question,” said Kemba Walker, who had 16 points on 6-for-18 shooting and 10 assists. “And we did that. We stuck with it. We stayed together. Our huddles were great. There’s going to be more games like this. It’s a long year. But it’s all about how you overcome it. Every team hits adversity at some point, especially during games. So the more we stay together, the easier it’ll be for us.”

Said Stevens after moving to 3-0 against New York this season, “We had a good defensive lineup out there. It was hard for us to get stops most of the night. I didn’t think we were very good in the first three quarters. But (the Knicks) played well and made some shots and they bullied us a little bit.”

The bench came up large for the Celts, with Grant Williams (4 points, plus-17), Ojeleye, Brad Wanamaker (11 points) and Enes Kanter (11 points, 11 rebounds, 16 minutes) all making key contributions.

“The best thing he does is he plays with energy and he rebounds,” said Stevens of Kanter. “So we needed baskets. We needed baskets on the interior, and he got us going in the fourth quarter when we came out of the gates slow again and I thought bailed us out a bit. I thought he was good.”

The Celtics overall? Not so much.

“Yeah, we weren’t very good at the start of the game and we didn’t come out with the right stuff,” Stevens said. “But it’s good that we can turn it up to that level. We had a couple great ball pressure plays at the end that helped us create some separation, and then we made some shots.

“I don’t think we can keep going into games and keep giving up 85 points with 10 minutes to go or at the end of the third and expect to be successful.”

It helped their survival that Tatum and Brown got warm, with the former topping his previous career high in assists by one with seven here. They 58 combined points were a relief to Walker.

“I’m loving it, especially when I’m not shooting the ball as well as I would like to,” Walker said. “It’s fun to watch, man. These dudes are so talented, especially for their age. It just makes life easier for me. You know, for me to not have a great shooting night and still get a win? That hasn’t happened much over the course of my career, so I’m excited about it.”

As for the reason behind the club’s general downturn in play, Walker said, “I wish I could tell you. I really don’t know. I just think we have to have better starts. It sounds easy, but it’s something that we’ve just got to put our minds to it. We’ve got to be more conscious of it, and we’ve just got to do it. It’s nothing more to say. We’ve got to start better.”

With Miami and Denver on the TD Garden docket Wednesday and Friday, poor starts will not be so easily forgiven.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/34ReQyU