Post Game Reaction: Knicks 117 Celtics 106
The New York Knicks played their best game of the new year as they pulled the upset beating the Boston Celtics 117-106. The Knicks energy was great from the 2nd quarter on. Early on it looked like the Knicks were going to get blown-out. The starters looked slow and lethargic, while the Celtics built a 9 point lead. The Knicks bench really changed this game, they took a deficit and turned it into a 9-point lead for the Knicks at half. They had scored the most first half points of the season with 63.
The 2nd half we saw more of the same as the bench really made an impact in this one. Missing the likes of Noah, Porzingis and Thomas, the bigs really stepped up. Hernangomez had a career game with 17pts and 11rebs. In total the Knicks had 6 guys in double-figure. They were led by the likes of Rose with 30pts and Melo chipped in with 13. This was a total team win as they got contributions by everyone. In the end the Knicks defense really showed up after the 1st quarter, holding the Celtics to 72pts after giving up 34 in the 1st quarter. They also held the Celtics to 38% from the field and limited the Celtics from the 3-point line as they only made 9-33 threes. This may have been the best defensive effort by the Knicks. On offense the Knicks had cohesion and moved the ball very well. They made 50% of their shots and assisted on 27 of 46 field goals. An excellent all-around performance by the Knicks.
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Kuzminskas can really play. He has become a revelation for the Knicks, since joining the starting lineup. He had another strong performance with 17pts and 6rebs. Kuz has added another dimension to this offense as the Knicks do not have to rely heavily on Melo or Rose. We even saw some play-making from Kuz as he went behind the back and then hit Lee for a transition lay-up. With his success, the Knicks should really consider making him a starter going forward even when Thomas and Porzingis get healthier.
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Knicks get boost from bench. The bench was the key in this one. The Knicks bench scored 55pts compared to 27 for the Celtics. The Knicks bench was led by Hernangomez with 17, Jennings had 11pts and 5 asts, Lee had 9pts 8rebs 7asts, and Holiday with 13pts 5rebs. Those four guys really changed the game and provided a major impact in this one. All five guys that played off the bench were in the plus department in the plus/minus stat, while the starters were a negative. It tells you how affect the bench was. Holiday was a +23, Jennings a +18 and Lee a +19. The bench was the MVP of this game.
Rose plays an excellent game. Derrick Rose may have played his best game of the year. Rose finished with 30pts 10rebs and 5 asts, while shooting 13-24 from the field. He was aggressive from the gecko and was consistently hitting his jump-shot. He may not play much defense but by scoring 30, he was able to match Thomas's 39. This kind of effort is needed from Rose every night.
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Coming into this game, if you told me the Celtics would have 3 turnovers, Thomas would score 39pts and Melo would only score 13pts, I would have told you that the Knicks were blown-out. Instead the Knicks pulled the upset. The bench really made a difference and were the main cog in this victory. This was a great performance by the Knicks and could be the needed boost to get the Knicks back on track.
