The Knicks’ 2024-25 regular season against the Boston Celtics ended in an 0-4 record with Tuesday’s 119-117 overtime loss.
Takeaways
- Ex-Knick Kristaps Porzingis turned the clock back with a 34-point effort, going 11-of-19 shooting and hitting on an 8-for-13 clip from deep in 39 minutes. Fourteen of his points came in a pivotal third quarter where the Celtics (59-20) outscored New York (50-29) 31-20, turning a 58-52 Knicks halftime lead into an 83-78 Boston edge entering the fourth. Porzingis drilled a 30-foot trey with 40.1 seconds left in overtime that served as the dagger, putting New York down 115-112. He was the difference in a game where each side needed a third option to step up.
- While Karl-Anthony Towns tied Porzingis for a game-high 34 points on 14-of-21 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds in 43 minutes for the double-double, his quiet third quarter with only a bucket came at a time where Porzingis caught fire. Compounding the Knicks’ inability to keep pace with the Celtics, Mikal Bridges (14 points on 6-of-15 shooting and a costly turnover late in the overtime period) did not pick up the slack on either end of the floor while OG Anunoby (13 points on 5-of-13 shooting) came back down to earth after Sunday’s breakout game against the Phoenix Suns.
- Fortunately for New York, Jalen Brunson continues to trend in an upward trajectory as he gets his conditioning back. Brunson’s second game back from a month-long injury absence saw him complement Towns with 27 points and nine assists in 38 minutes. Jayson Tatum, to his credit, was simply better.
- In a game where the Knicks had a chance to prove that they could hang with the Celtics or at least mount their momentum into the playoffs before a potential postseason rematch, Boston gave New York a possible reality check. Not only does the Knicks’ regular season end with four losses to the Celtics, who are the Eastern Conference’s second seed, but Tom Thibodeau‘s team remains winless against contenders like the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers at 0-3.
Who’s the MVP?
Tatum, who rose above co-star Jaylen Brown‘s six points in 22 minutes with 32 points on 11-of-22 shooting over 47 minutes. Notably, Tatum’s game-tying triple with 3.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter forced overtime and gave Boston the life that it needed to survive.
Highlights
Jalen Brunson is in the top ten for three pointers made in Knicks history đź‘Ź
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/TpOTnvmoBv
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 9, 2025
OG’s defense leads to a Brunson bucket đź’Ş
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/l8Wf96XFW7
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 9, 2025
BLOCKED BY ROBINSON!
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/gBzwASkSUr
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 9, 2025
What’s next
The Knicks are at the Detroit Pistons for Thursday’s 7 p.m. game. Friday’s 7:30 p.m. home finale against the Cavs follows before Sunday’s 1 p.m. tipoff at the Nets closes the regular season.
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