In this duel between two teams weakened by the Covid-19 (six absent on both sides), it was the Celtics who finally took the upper hand over the Knicks (114-107), at the cost of a last good act best mastered by the men of Ime Udoka.
Imperials to start (32-18 in the first quarter) and to finish (28-19 in the fourth quarter), in the wake of their great success at 3-points, the Boston players were able to find the solutions necessary to resist their air hole back from the locker room (24-41 in the third quarter).
A third quarter during which New York unrolled its basketball in attack, thanks to the very good contributions of Evan Fournier (32 points) and Kemba Walker (29 points), the two most prominent players on the New York side, on the occasion of their reunion with their former audience at TD Garden.
Except that the teammates of Jayson Tatum (25 points, 9 rebounds) and Jaylen Brown (23 points), perfectly supported (if not better) by Josh Richardson out of the bench (27 points), made the difference in the hot moments, to find a balanced balance sheet, the day after their loss to the Warriors.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Kemba Walker back. As a good professional, the All-Star point guard shone for his return to the New York rotation. Covid-19 requires, Tom Thibodeau had no other choice but to call his player back to the rescue and he proved to him that he was not that bad. Despite a little waste (8/20 on shots) and his six faults, the former Hornets made the show against his former team, especially in the third quarter. Because, back from the locker room, “Cardiac Kemba” (17 points) cut the Celtics, 3-point and throws, completely overthrowing Boston. A service that should help him restore his image with his coach.
— Josh Richardson and Payton Pritchard, The X Factors. While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been true to themselves offensively, despite some clumsiness, it was especially the Richardson / Pritchard duo that tipped the scales for Boston last night. Both in the first quarter and in the second or the last. Out of the bench, the two C’s players thus dynamited the New York defense, mainly with 3-point blows (9/14 cumulative). Together, they finally compiled 43 points, while the substitutes for the Knicks registered only 3. A hell of a delta, especially since they were decisive.
— Evan Fournier goes on well. In the hard after a decent start to the season, the Frenchman equaled his season point record. Proof of his return to the fore, coming out of a 23-point game with the Knicks? Too premature to claim it, but there is undoubtedly the best in his game. The 29-year-old full-back was the most consistent New Yorker in the game, weighing especially in the second and third quarters, at the end of the game. image of his team. Aggressive, confident on the shoot (13/24 on shots, 4/10 on 3-points) and never hesitating to draw, he at the same time took care of his return to Massachusetts.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Robert Williams. Now obliged to hold the interior of Boston on his broad shoulders, the “Time Lord” (15 points, 8 rebounds) did rather well last night. In particular, allowing himself to include two capital baskets in the painting, in the “money-time”, in order to definitively repel these catchy and combative Knicks. Better still: the rough 24-year-old pivot helped make life as difficult as possible for Julius Randle in defense. Solid is the word that perfectly describes the performance of the Celtics player.
✅ Alec Burks. Quietly, the Knicks rear / winger did the job in this scorer / creator role he occupies under Tom Thibodeau. In the shadow of the Walker / Fournier pair, the 30-year-old has proven to be consistent and he has compiled 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, in 41 minutes. Showing aggressive offensively (6/7 throws) and spoiling very little, apart from his 4 ball losses (5/9 shots, 3/6 3-points). A solid match on his part, therefore, even if his many efforts on both sides of the court were not rewarded with a victory.
⛔ Julius Randle. Irregular as possible this season, the All-Star of the Knicks continues its momentum, to the chagrin of his team. If he certainly finishes with honorable statistics of 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, in 41 minutes, the 27-year-old interior has watered the shoot (6/19 on shots, including 1/7 at 3-points …) , in addition to losing some damaging balls (4 in total). Especially since his poor start to the game handicapped New York from the start of it, since he had to wait until the middle of the second quarter to finally score points …
⛔ Aaron Nesmith. Holder for the first time this season (and for the second time in his career), the Boston winger never found his rhythm in attack (0/5 on shots, all 3-points), finishing with no point on the counter. Despite his overflowing desire, his energy in defense or his rebounding activity, the 22-year-old unfortunately weighed down his team on the offensive plan, due to his ineffectiveness in shooting. A match to forget, then.
⛔ Absences. Dennis Schröder, Al Horford, Grant Williams, Jabari Parker, Romeo Langford, Juan Hernangomez, Sam Hauser and Brodric Thomas on one side. Derrick Rose, RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, Miles McBride, Quentin Grimes, Kevin Knox and Luka Samanic on the other. It’s an understatement to say that Boston and New York were weakened last night, with the two teams each facing an eight-man rotation. Absences which obviously spoiled the party, in this particular context.
THE FOLLOWING
Boston (15-15) : Philadelphia reception, Monday night to Tuesday (1:30 am).
New York (13-17) : Detroit reception, Tuesday to Wednesday night (1:30 am).
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
–
