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Celtics

C’s Mazzulla Signed to Multi-year Contract Extension

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Head coach Joe Mazzulla has signed a multi-year contract extension with the Boston Celtics.

The team announced his signing on Friday but did not reveal either the length of the deal or its monetary value.

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Mazzulla, 37, has compiled a 182-64 regular-season record and a 33-17 playoff mark in three seasons with Boston. The Celtics won the NBA title in 2024.

He was the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals since the 1968-69 season, when Bill Russell, then 35, led the Celtics to the NBA championship as a player-coach.

“He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans,” said Brad Stevens, the team’s president of basketball operations. “He’s worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach — including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning the 2024 NBA Championship. Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.”

Celtics Trade Porzingis

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics are sending Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a three-team trade also involving the Brooklyn Nets, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

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Atlanta will receive the 7-foot-2 Porzingis and a second-round draft pick; the Nets get Hawks guard/forward Terance Mann and their No. 22 pick; and the Celtics receive Atlanta forward Georges Niang and a second-rounder, per the report.

The Celtics, who on Monday reportedly sent two-time All-Star guard Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, will be out of the salary cap’s second apron with the trade of the oft-injured Porzingis and save a projected $180 million in tax penalties, ESPN reported.

Boston reportedly is actively involved in trade talks involving multiple players on their roster following star Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear in the second round of the playoffs.

Porzingis, 29, was an All-Star in 2017-18 with the New York Knicks, who drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick in 2015. Derailed by injuries, he missed the entire 2018-19 season with a torn ACL and has played fewer than 60 games in six of his last seven campaigns.

He missed the start of this past season following offseason ankle surgery. The torn medial retinaculum injury, considered “rare,” occurred during the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, which the Celtics won in five games.

Porzingis averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 28.8 minutes in playing in only 42 regular-season games (all starts) last season. He also played in 11 playoff games (seven starts) and averaged 7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 21.0 minutes.

For his career, Porzingis averages 19.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.8 blocks and 30.8 minutes in 501 games (500 starts) for the Knicks (2015-18), Mavericks (2019-22), Washington Wizards (2022-23) and Celtics.

He earned $29.2 million this season and is due to earn $30.7 million in 2025-26.

The Los Angeles Clippers selected Mann in the second round of the 2019 draft.

The Clippers traded Mann to the Hawks on Feb. 6. He averaged 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 22.7 minutes in 30 games (one start) for Atlanta — all improvements over his earlier averages in 37 games (12 starts) for Los Angeles.

For his career, Mann, 28, averages 8.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 22.1 minutes in 412 games (169 starts) for the Clippers and Hawks.

The Indiana Pacers picked Niang in the second round of the 2016 draft. Niang, who turned 32 on June 17, has averaged 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 17.5 minutes in 544 games (32 starts).

Niang has played for the Pacers (2016-17), Utah Jazz (2017-21), Philadelphia 76ers (2021-23), Cleveland Cavaliers (2023-25) and Hawks, who acquired him on Feb. 6. He averaged 12.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 23.0 minutes in 28 games (two starts) for Atlanta.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Trade Holiday; Acquire Simons

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Portland Trail Blazers are reacquiring two-time All-Star guard Jrue Holiday from the Boston Celtics, sending guard Anfernee Simons and two future second-round draft picks to Boston in return, according to multiple reports on Monday night.

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Holiday, 35, who will earn $32.4 million next season, is owed a total of approximately $72 million in 2026-27 and 2027-28, after which his four-year, $134.4 million contract that he signed with the Celtics in April 2024 expires.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Simons joins the Celtics on an expiring contract. Per ESPN, the deal saves Boston $40 million in luxury tax payments next season.

In 2023, Portland landed Holiday in a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks for Damian Lillard, then sent the 16-year veteran to Boston and acquired a pair of first-round picks. Holiday never played a game for the Blazers.

Per the report, the Celtics are actively involved in trade talks involving multiple players on their roster following Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear in the second round of the playoffs.

In his first season with the Celtics, Holiday played an instrumental role in the team’s run to the NBA title, shooting a career-high 42.9 percent from 3-point range in 2023-24 and earning All-Defensive team honors.

Holiday was a first-round pick (No. 17 overall) of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2009. He has career averages of 15.8 points, 6.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals with the 76ers (2009-13), New Orleans Pelicans (2013-20), Bucks (2020-23) and Celtics in 1,037 games (956 starts). He won his first NBA title with Milwaukee in 2021 and is a six-time All-Defensive selection.

Simons, 26, was also a first-round selection, picked at No. 24 by the Blazers in 2018. In seven seasons with Portland he posted 15.0 points, 3.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds over 389 games (213 starts). He should fit in with the Celtics’ offensive approach, as he has averaged nearly nine 3-point attempts per game the last three seasons and is a career 38.1 percent shooter from distance.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | May 18

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Storing the Boston TD Garden parquet for the season (Photo by T Peter Lyons)

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – It’s officially baseball season in Boston after the New York Knicks eliminated the Boston Celtics on Friday night in a raucous Madison Square Garden beatdown of epic proportions. Not only were the defending NBA champion Celtics eliminated from the 2025 NBA Playoffs and their attempt to repeat as title holders was dashed, the Cs were embarrassed by a 119-81 final score. The Celtics trailed by 27 points at the half and the Knicks’ lead increased to a point where it was a 41-point debacle for the Bostonians.

While the Knicks’ players won, shook hands and acted as though they’d been there before, Knicks fans did not, as the 19,500 fans with tickets to Game 6 poured out to Seventh Avenue to join the thousands who watched the game in the square blocks surrounding Penn Station and MSG. How could the fans be blamed as they had to count back to 1999 when New York advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals vs Indiana (4-2) and then to the NBA Finals when they were whooped (4-1) by the San Antonio Spurs.

Of course, the Celtics had no fingers to point and no one to blame but themselves. Boston looked sharp in their series-clinching game against Orlando, outscoring the Magic by a 73-40 margin, including a 30-9 run to end the third quarter back on April 29th, seemingly a lifetime ago in these drawn-out but entertaining NBA Playoffs of 2025.

But, Boston’s downfall came in the opening two games of the best-of-seven series against the No. 3 seeded Knickerbockers. On both May 5 and 7th, the Celtics blew 20-point leads to go 0-2 in the Conference semifinal series, and in basic NBA folklore, you can blow one game in a best of seven, but you can’t cough-up two.

That old NBA adage caught up to the Celtics in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden, and the Boston loss vaults us all to summertime and baseball season.

Seasons change and so did I

You need not wonder why

You need not wonder why

There’s no time left for you

No time left for you – The Guess Who, composed by guitarist Randy Bachman and lead singer Burton Cummings

Yes, the seasons change fast in Boston, a town with its fans spoiled by 18 Celtics’ championship banners flying high in the rafters of TD Garden. With the Celtics, it’s either a championship or bust, and bust they did, especially after wingman JaysonTatum went down with a severe ruptured tendon in Game 4 of the Knicks series.

While the current iteration of the Celtics will always have the respect of being NBA Champions (2024), the Cs will also have to live with the fact they blew their chances for more than a single title.

The key games:

2023 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Miami Heat:

  • Game 1 at TD Garden, May 17: Miami 123, Boston 116
  • Game 2 at TD Garden, May 19: Miami 111, Boston 105
  • Game 7 at TD Garden, May 29: Miami 103, Boston 84

2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs New York Knicks:

  • Game 1 at TD Garden, May 5: NY Knicks 108, *Boston 105 (OT)
  • Game 2 at TD Garden, May 7: NY Knicks 91, *Boston 90
  • Game 6 at Madison Square Garden, May 16: **NY Knicks 119, Boston 81

* Boston led by 20 points

**Boston trailed by as many as 41 points

Those six games stand out as damn near inexcusable for a championship level team to put forth. In the most recent collapse, Boston went from being a defense-first team to a perimeter shooting, poor shooting fraction of what they could’ve been. The missed shots – many open, good looks – resulted in long rebounds and a transition game that favored New York.

Looking ahead, Boston has its hands tied with large, longterm contracts for its seven or eight rotation players. The Cs’ 2025-26 team salary is estimated at $223,928,825which will be the highest in the league. Big contracts with the dollars guaranteed for ‘25-26 are as follows:

  • Tatum: $54,000,000+
  • Brown: $53,000,000+
  • Holiday: $32,000,000+
  • Porzingis: $30,000,000+
  • White: $28,000,000+
  • Hauser: $10,000,000+
  • Pritchard: $7,000,000+
  • Horford: (Can sign a the NBA veteran minimum) – In 2025, it was $9,500,000

Reports surfaced Saturday that Jaylen Brown finished the season while playing through a partially torn right meniscus. Evaluations have yet to be made and surgery is a possibility.

There is not a lot of give and take with contracts that size and many with multi-year increases. NBA TV money will increase to drastically increase team salary next summer (July 2026). Team GM Brad Stevens will have to stick with the horse than brought him to the 2024 NBA title.

Switching gears, a bit: As Game 6 unfolded in New York, the (22-24) Red Sox were losing their fourth straight game, leaving even the most optimistic Boston fans feeling a bit unsettled heading into the Memorial Day to 4th of July stretch.

Should the Sox continue to falter, the hometown New England Patriots’ prognosis for the 2025 NFL season doesn’t look promising at all. The 0-for-4 in pro franchise forecast might make the Boston faithful seeking refuge in the September 1st TCU at North Carolina football game, also known as former Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s NCAA debut.

The new Boston Red Sox City Connect uniforms (Courtesy MLB)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: With the Boston Bruins watching the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs from their North End condos, the Celtics sent packing to Cabo San Lucas, the Patriots staring a sub-.500 season ahead for sure, only the Red Sox might find their way to postseason play in 2025.

If they do, the Sox might be wearing new City Connect uniforms inspired by the famed Green Monster of Fenway Park (with a hint of the Pesky Pole yellow).

The new uniforms were unveiled as the Sox took the field against the Braves (loss, so they are 0-1 in the new duds) and will be worn on select home games throughout the season, including May 23. The original Nike City Connect yellow and blue uniforms will remain a core offering for the team, replacing the blue alternate jersey, and will continue to be worn during Patriots’ Day Weekend at Fenway Park.

The new jersey’s feature “Red Sox” in the Green Monster’s signature font across the chest in white, with an encircled “B” logo on the sleeve. Player numbers appear in yellow on the front – a nod to the Fisk and Pesky poles – and in white on the back. Inside the collar, “1912” is stitched onto a concrete, heather pattern, symbolizing the interior structure of the left field wall and the year Fenway Park opened. A replica of the Green Monster’s vintage ball, strike, and out indicator appears as a small graphic detail on the lower left of the jersey.

“The original Nike City Connect uniforms were a bold departure for the team, rooted in the spirit of the (Boston) Marathon, more than the club’s traditional identity,” said Troup Parkinson, Chief Marketing and Partnerships Officer for the Boston Red Sox. “This time, we started with a clear design thesis to create something lasting – drawn directly from Fenway Park itself. Every element has meaning and reflects a place that has defined Red Sox baseball for over a century.”

In doing so, the Sox chose to sway from their signature “BoSox font,” created by well known font author Lee Gordon.

TL’s Take: The new Sox City Connects are nice, and a great idea but I prefer the darker green of the Fenway scoreboard as opposed the lighter green of the ballpark, the dugouts and the Green Monster that is closer to the uniform color. Maybe we can get some paint out and fix ‘em up?

Brown May Need Knee Surgery

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Four days after Boston’s All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum underwent surgery on a torn right Achilles tendon, ESPN reported that fellow Celtics star Jaylen Brown has a partially torn right meniscus and might also require surgery.

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Per the report, the 28-year-old Brown, who averaged 22.1 points and 7.1 rebounds in 36.5 minutes per game during the playoffs, played the last month of the regular season and the postseason with the injury. Brown will undergo tests this week to determine whether he needs surgery.

Brown had undergone pain injections in his right knee beginning in March, ESPN previously had reported. The four-time All-Star sat out the last three games of the regular season but played in every game in the postseason.

“I don’t make excuses,” he told reporters after Friday’s season-ending road loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. “Obviously, it’s tough the way we went out like tonight, but the way we finished the year, personally, the way I finished the year, persevering through some physical stuff that I was battling through, I’m proud of our group.”

The Celtics lost Tatum late in the Game 4 loss to the Knicks, while Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t at 100 percent this spring due to an undisclosed illness.

Finishing his ninth season, Brown – the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft – appeared in 63 games and averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and a career-high 4.5 assists over 34.3 minutes. For his career, Brown has posted averages of 19.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 30.6 minutes in 603 games (496 starts).

No Repeat, Just Surrender

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – No Boston Celtics team has repeated as NBA champions since the great Bill Russell led the immortal Celtics clubs of 1968-69. On sure thing: the 2024-25 Celtics are not immortal, they proved to be human. Human with flaws. Humans subject to injury and fatigue.

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New York’s incredible guard Jalen Brunson and team mainstay OG Anunoby each scored 23 points as the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000 by steamrolling the visiting Boston Celtics 119-81 on Friday in Game 6 of their semifinal series at a raucous Madison Square Garden.

Knicks forward Mikal Bridges had 22 points and All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 12 rebounds for third-seeded New York, which led by as many as 41 points. The Knicks wrapped up the best-of-seven series with the largest winning playoff margin in the OG franchise history.

In doing so, the Knicks proved they just might be championship material, but the upstart Indiana Pacers stand in their way. The Eastern Conference Finals begin Wednesday in New York.

NY’s Josh Hart contributed 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to record New York’s first postseason triple-double since the legendary Walt Frazier accomplished the feat in 1972. Frazier and his teammate, Bill Bradley, were in attendance  for the Game 6 victory.

Defending NBA champion Boston was led by Jaylen Brown, who had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists before fouling out late in the third quarter. The Celtics were again short-handed after losing star Jayson Tatum to a ruptured right Achilles during Game 4 on Monday.

New York shot 46.2 percent from the field, including 16 of 46 (34.8 percent) from 3-point range. The Knicks held a 55-36 rebounding advantage.

Payton Pritchard scored 11 points and Al Horford added 10 for Boston, which shot 36 percent and was 12 of 41 (29.3 percent) from 3-point range.

The score was tied at 16 before the Knicks began pulling away.

New York led 26-20 at the end of the first quarter and then opened the second with a 16-4 surge to open up an 18-point lead midway through the period.

After Boston’s Luke Kornet interrupted the burst with a three-point play, the Knicks rattled off 16 of the next 21 points to take a 58-32 lead on a putback dunk by Miles “Deuce” McBride with 1:31 left.

McBride buried a 3-pointer as time expired in the half for a 64-37 lead at the break. That marked New York’s largest halftime advantage at the break since leading the Los Angeles Lakers 69-42 in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals, won by the Knicks.

The contest was effectively over when Brown fouled out with 2:50 left in the third quarter and Boston down by 33. Anunoby poured it on with consecutive 3-pointers to end a 10-0 push as the margin went above 40 at 92-51 with 1:51 remaining in the third.

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By that time, Knicks fans were taking over the blocks surrounding Madison Square Garden, rejoicing in the fact it’s been a quarter Century since the Knicks advanced to the NBA ECF or NBA Finals (1999 loss to Spurs). It’s been 52 years since the Knicks won an NBA title and Bradley and Frazier are the only remaining starters from that great Knickerbockers team, as center Willis Reed, forward Dave DeBusschere passed away long ago, and shooting guard Dick Barnett just died this month.

Maybe the ghosts of Madison Square Garden have caught up to the famous ghosts of Boston Garden?

Only time will tell.

–Field Level Media

Celtics: Alive and Well

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – It appears it wasn’t mentioned to the Boston Celtics that they were supposed to go away quietly in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s devastating and season-ending Achilles injury.

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The Celtics were loud and boisterous while facing elimination and won in dominant fashion Wednesday. Now, they have the opportunity to even the Eastern Conference semifinals at three games apiece when they visit the Knicks on Friday night in New York.

Tatum’s serious injury in Game 4 inspired Boston, which delivered a 127-102 home-court rout in Game 5.

The Celtics are 10-2 without Tatum this season, including 2-0 in the playoffs.

“It’s easy to kind of write things off,” Boston co-star Jaylen Brown said. “Obviously, unfortunate what happened to J.T., but we’ve still got basketball to be played. I believe in this group. Don’t count us out just yet.”

The lopsided Game 5 victory transfers the pressure to the Knicks, who need to wrap up the series Friday to avoid a Game 7 in Boston on Monday.

New York star Jalen Brunson could feel the urgency after his club was outscored by 25 points in the second half.

He also made it clear the Knicks didn’t relax due to Tatum’s misfortune.

“No, not at all. Yes, they are missing a big piece, but they are a well-oiled machine that has been in situations where they’ve played without him, and they’ve played well,” Brunson said. “We need to understand that and trust the game plan and play to win. It’s as simple as that.”

Brunson scored 22 points in Game 5 before fouling out with 7:19 left to play. Josh Hart led the team with 24 points and made five of nine 3-point attempts.

But the Knicks shot just 35.8 percent from the field with OG Anunoby (1-for-12, six points) and Mikal Bridges (4-for-14, 9 points) both having poor shooting outings.

“We’ve got to play desperate,” Bridges said. “I don’t think we did that,”

Meanwhile, the Celtics had six players score in double digits. Derrick White knocked down seven 3-pointers while scoring 34 points and Brown had 26 points with 12 assists and eight rebounds.

Kristaps Porzingis didn’t play in the second half due to ongoing issues with a viral illness. He had one point and one rebound in 12 first-half minutes. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis was having trouble breathing.

His departure proved to be a stroke of good luck as journeyman Luke Kornet stepped up in the second half and finished with 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots. The rejections were two shy of the franchise postseason record set by Robert Williams III a the 2021 first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets.

“I feel like it was just trying to make plays,” Kornet said. “Obviously, our season’s on the line, so I’m just trying to have a lot of energy, make plays. I feel like it was everybody. I feel like everybody stepped up and we were very connected and very aggressive and forceful and, obviously, did our job for the day. Now we have to get up and do it again, and it’ll require different things on Friday.”

Regardless of who Boston has on the floor, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau will be studying intently to make the right adjustments.

“They have a lot of shooting on the floor, that’s going to remain the same,” Thibodeau said. “The thing about their team is they are a great defensive team as well. We can’t be slow getting back and you can’t give open shots to them. We have to be closer with our close-outs and be better with our communication.”

Though New York still holds the series lead, Boston carries the momentum as it attempts to win its second straight elimination game.

“We did what was necessary to do and what we needed to do to get it back to New York,” Mazzulla said. “You don’t get to pick the test that you have, you pick how you respond to them.”

–Field Level Media

Knicks in Control; Tatum Hurt

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With Boston’s All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum sidelined due to a major leg injury, New York’s Jalen Brunson scored 26 of his 39 points in the second half and the Knicks became the first home team to win in the series by dispatching the Boston Celtics 121-113 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.

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NY’s Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points and 11 rebounds and Mikal Bridges also scored 23 for the Knicks, who recovered from a 14-point third-quarter deficit. OG Anunoby made some key plays late while contributing 20 points.

Boston’s Tatum sustained a serious right ankle or Achilles’ heel injury late in the contest. Tatum had 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. He knocked down seven 3-pointers for the second-seeded Celtics, who squandered 20-point leads while dropping the series’ first two games.

Boston’s Derrick White made six 3-pointers and scored 23 points and all-star and 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown added 20 points and seven rebounds for Boston. Payton Pritchard had 12 points for the Celtics.

The Knicks can clinch the best-of-seven series with a win in Game 5 at Boston on Wednesday night or a victory on their home court in Game 6 on Friday.

Anunoby drilled a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 5:52 left to start a decisive 14-2 spurt.

A jumper in the lane by Bridges made it 111-104, and Anunoby added a steal and dunk to increase the gap to 113-104 with 3:03 left. Tatum was injured on the latter play and grabbed for his ankle and signaled for a timeout with 2:58 to go.

Tatum was helped off the floor with his right foot kept in the air and was later seen being pushed to the locker room while sitting in a rolling chair.

Brunson nailed a trey to cap the run and all but seal it at 116-104 with 2:25 remaining.

New York connected on 54.3 percent of its shots and was 12 of 34 (35.3 percent) from behind the arc.

Boston made 18 of 48 3-point attempts (37.5 percent) and is 38 of 88 (43.2 percent) over the past two contests after being a dreadful 25 of 100 in its opening two setbacks. Overall, the Celtics made 48.1 percent of their shots in Game 4.

Boston led 72-58 after White’s 3-pointer with 9:06 remaining in the third quarter before the Knicks went on a 30-13 burst over the rest of the period.

A 3-pointer by Anunoby with 32.1 seconds left gave New York an 86-85 edge, the hosts’ first lead since the opening quarter. Josh Hart added a layup with 3.5 seconds left before Bridges opened the fourth quarter with a short jumper to give the Knicks a 90-85 lead.

Tatum drilled a 3-pointer to knot the score at 96 with 8:22 remaining. Tatum knocked down another trey 65 seconds later to give Boston a one-point advantage, and he later converted a three-point play to tie it at 102 with 6:12 to go.

Tatum (20 first-half points) and White (17) each made four 3-pointers as Boston led 62-51 at the break. Brunson led the Knicks with 13 points in the half.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Confidence High

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics insisted they weren’t concerned by dropping the first two games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks.

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They stuck to the story despite those two setbacks coming at home. Even the fact they swept the four regular-season meetings and nearly all observers projected New York to be the team down 0-2 didn’t cause a lot of distress.

Blowing 20-point leads in both Games 1 and 2? Painful, of course, but not devastating enough to wave the white flag.

But their performance improved mightily in the third game of the matchup, and now Boston has a chance to even the series at 2-2 when it plays Monday night at New York.

“You’ve got to beat us four times. That’s what it comes down to,” said Celtics star Jaylen Brown. “Not twice, not once, not three. You’ve got to win four games, so there’s a lot of basketball to be played.”

The one Boston win came in superlative fashion.

The Celtics led by as many as 31 points and regained their 3-point shooting touch. After being a combined 25 of 100 from behind the arc in the defeats, Boston connected on 20 of 40 in the 115-93 rout.

Jayson Tatum and NBA Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard each made five. Pritchard scored 23 points after averaging just 11 over the first two games.

“Who cares what the outside world is saying,” Pritchard said in reference to some of the chatter about Boston’s propensity for firing away from outside. “‘We shoot too many 3s.’ Everybody’s all saying that, but if you believe in your shot and you’re able to hit it, then take it confidently.”

Tatum added 22 points in a contest in which five Boston players tallied 15 or more.

The Knicks are facing their first adversity of the series after being walloped at home. New York never led and was down 71-46 at halftime.

Knicks star Jalen Brunson scored 27 points, but he wasn’t overly thrilled with his team’s frame of mind.

“I don’t think we came with the mindset of being satisfied, but I think it was just subconsciously satisfied being up 2-0,” Brunson said. “Just not the way we need to approach the game.”

New York knows a Game 4 loss removes the advantage it gained by winning twice in Boston. So, it basically is now must-win territory for the Knicks.

“You have to earn your wins. You have to put the work into winning,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said Sunday. “We knew coming in that they were going to be coming in with force and we’ve got to make sure that we’re ready for that. And you know — we’ve got to play a strong 48 minutes of basketball.”

Knicks forward Josh Hart said remaining even-keel is important for his club.

“We knew it was gonna be a tough series,” Hart said. “When we win, we’re not too high and when we lose, we’re not too low. We always try to stay even. Make adjustments, but the mentality, the character of the team doesn’t change.”

New York big man Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 15 rebounds in Game 3, but he also injured his left hand. Yet all appears to be well as Towns isn’t listed on the team’s injury report.

Boston listed reserve Sam Hauser (sprained right ankle) as questionable but is otherwise healthy.

Meanwhile, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla isn’t concerned that his team trails in the series.

“There’s no expectations,” Mazzulla said. “We’re on a path of trying to go after greatness. There’s nothing to dictate the test that’s in front of you.”

–Field Level Media

Not So Fast, New York

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s All-NBA star Jayson Tatum finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and the Celtics went up by 20 (again) but pulled away for a 115-93 win over the host New York Knicks on Saturday afternoon in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series.

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Celtics’ Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard scored a team-high 23 points off the bench for Boston, which cut the Knicks’ lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Jaylen Brown scored 19 points and Derrick White had 17.

New York’s Jalen Brunson scored 27 points on 9-for-21 shooting to lead the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

After struggling to score in the first two games of the series, the Celtics found their rhythm on offense. Boston shot 48.2 percent (40 of 83) overall and 50 percent (20 of 40) from 3-point range, and New York shot 40 percent (32 of 80) from the field and 20 percent (5 of 25) from beyond the arc.

Tatum made a basket to put Boston on top 112-89 with 2:40 remaining. He assisted on a 3-pointer by Al Horford on the next possession, and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla rested his starters for the remainder of the game with the score out of reach.

The Celtics led 96-70 at the end of the third quarter. Boston led by as many as 31 points after Pritchard made a basket with 1:42 to go in the quarter, and the Knicks trimmed slightly into the deficit by scoring the final five points of the quarter on an alley-oop dunk by Mitchell Robinson, a floating jump shot by Brunson and a free throw by Robinson.

Boston sprinted to a 36-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. Pritchard drove the ball across half court and hit a baseline jumper as time expired to put the Celtics on top by 16.

By halftime, the Celtics increased their lead to 71-46. Brown buried a 3-pointer to put Boston at the 70-point mark with 30.5 seconds left in the half, and he made one of two free throws in the closing seconds to give the Celtics a 25-point advantage.

–Field Level Media