Celtics Fall to Knicks 109-94 After Horrendous Shooting Night

Game Recap: Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks | February 27, 2023

NEW YORK CITY, NY: The Celtics fell to the New York Knicks 109-94, and dropped to 44-18 on the season, and ultimately fell out of first place in the Eastern Conference. Al Horford started the game off with a three point make, and then the Celtics would go on to set a franchise record…for consecutive missed threes at 16 in a row (started game 1-17).

In the first quarter, the Celtics really struggled, only putting up 15 points. The Knicks got out to an early double digit lead and never looked back from that point on. By halftime, they were leading the Celtics 60-46. Every time the Celtics made a run to cut the lead in the second half, the Knicks would respond. Whether it was an Immanuel Quickley three, or a Jaylen Brunson/Julius Randle bucket, the Knicks always had an answer. It seemed as if they got a 10 point lead right from the get go, and held this lead for the entire game.

Jayson Tatum struggled all night, only shooting 6-18 from the field, continuing his post-All Star Break slump. He was upset with a few potential missed calls in the second half, and eventually got ejected from the game (first ejection of his career). He may have had a point though, as the free throw disparity was evident. The Celtics shot just 14 free throws compared to the Knicks 34 free throws. That wasn’t the difference in the game however, as the Celtics also shot just 9-42 from three (21.4%). Not a good recipe for winning games when you can’t make threes or get to the free throw line.

It was a different story on the other hand for the Knicks. Julius Randle finished with 23 points on 7-16 shooting and Immanuel Quickley added 23 of his own on 7-13 shooting. Quickley was also 4-7 from three point range, adding timely scores for the Knicks throughout the night. This win pushes the Knicks to 36-27, as they sit at the 5 spot right now in the East.