For a second successive season, the New York Knicks can take a 2-0 series lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final when they face the Boston Celtics in game two at TD Garden on Wednesday.
The opening game between these two teams on Monday night was another one to remember, with the Knicks rallying for a 108-105 overtime win.
Match preview
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Up by 20 points with just over six minutes to play in the third quarter, Joe Mazzulla had to feel like his Celtics were on their way to taking an early series lead.
Instead, the reigning NBA champions fell apart and were outscored 25-16 in the fourth quarter, ending their eight-game home winning streak in the post-season as a result.
Having nearly a week off between games seemed to impact their shooting, especially beyond the arc, with the best three-point shooting team in the regular season missing a playoff-record 45 three-pointers in game one.
As a team, Boston had a field goal percentage of 35.1 on Monday, while turning the ball over 13 times and rarely capitalising on the fast break, scoring just eight points in that department.
Mazzullua has not lost consecutive playoff games as this team's head coach since the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, when the Miami Heat ousted them in six games.
In their defeat on Monday, Boston gave up over 100 points in a playoff game for only the second time in their previous 11 post-season affairs.
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Down but never out, the Knicks eventually came to life in the second half of game one, thanks in part to some excellent shooting from the floor.
Tom Thibodeau's crew beat the Celtics at their own game Monday, shooting 45.9% from three-point land while knocking down 42.5% of their field goals.
It is a good thing they were so hot from beyond the arc because New York shot a dismal 54% from the line in game one after knocking down 80% of their free throws in their series-clinching victory against the Detroit Pistons.
Their aggressive defence saw them create 10 steals in game one, while they were a lot better in possession, only allowing four steals to Boston.
New York remained unbeaten on the road in the 2025 playoffs, winning their third consecutive opening game of a post-season series.
In the lengthy playoff history between these two arch-rivals, the Knicks have never won consecutive road games against the Celtics in the same series, but they can do exactly that on Wednesday.
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Team News
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In game one, Jrue Holiday returned to the Celtics lineup after missing time with a strained right hamstring, while Kristaps Porzingis played despite a minor illness the day before.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led Boston with 23 points each, but both missed opportunities that could have won them the game, while Derrick White had 19 points and 11 boards in a losing effort.
On the Knicks side, there were no injuries to report in game one, with OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson each scoring 29 points, while Miles McBride came off the bench and went three of six from three-point range.
Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns were massive again, each with 14 points, along with 11 and 13 rebounds, respectively, while a Mikal Bridges steal on Brown in the dying stages of overtime allowed the Knicks to take the opener.
Boston Celtics possible starting five:
White, Brown, Tatum, Horford; Porzingis
New York Knicks possible starting five:
Bridges, Brunson; Anunoby, Hart; Towns
We say: Celtics to win by 6+ points
The Celtics suffered a rare hiccup on Monday, and we expect them to be a lot sharper shooting the ball and return to being the stifling defence we saw most of the season.
Joel Lefevre
