Knicks Come Back From Down 20 Again, Stun Celtics

If one 20-point road comeback win wasn’t wild enough, two in a row is unheard of.

The New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics 91-90, going up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. With 3:12 left in the third quarter, the Knicks trailed 73-52. From there, they outscored the Celtics 39-17, marking their second 20-point comeback in a row.

“Always have the belief in each other,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “You get to the playoffs and it’s about your mental toughness, your defense and your teamwork.”

Jalen Brunson was fouled with 12.1 seconds left and the Knicks down by one point. He made both free throws, giving the Knicks a 91-90 lead.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called an isolation for Jayson Tatum. Mikal Bridges stole the ball from him, ending the game.

Brunson had an off night for his standards for the Knicks, finishing with 17 points on 6-19 shooting.

Josh Hart was the leading scorer for the Knicks, finishing with 23 points and six rebounds. Half of his rebounds were offensive rebounds.

Two games into the series, the Celtics’ star duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown has been struggling. After a lackluster shooting performance in game one, the two combined to shoot 3-12 from three and 13-42 from the field.

Kristaps Porzingis only played 14 minutes after leaving game one with an illness. It is unknown whether his minutes will increase as the series goes on.

The Celtics opened the series as much as -900 favorites on some sportsbooks. Being down 2-0, the odds are closer to even for either team to win the series.

“In a way, it kinda takes the pressure off of us,” Porzingis said. “If you check the odds, maybe the Knicks are the favorites now to win.”