Jalen Brunson scored 29 points as the New York Knicks mounted a thrilling second-half comeback to stun the Boston Celtics 108-105 in overtime on Monday, taking Game 1 of their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series at TD Garden.
Brunson, coming off a 40-point outing in the Knicks’ series-clinching win over Detroit, hit five of nine three-pointers in another clutch performance. OG Anunoby matched Brunson with 29 points of his own, knocking down six triples and coming up big in crunch time alongside Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns.
“It was a great team win,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “We started well, then we fell into a hole and fought our way out. We made tough plays down the stretch.”
The defending champion Celtics, seeded second in the East, looked in control with a 72-52 lead early in the third quarter. But Boston’s offense stalled while Anunoby and Brunson caught fire, sparking a 21-point swing to get New York back in the game.
Boston still held a nine-point lead heading into the fourth, but quick threes from Miles McBride and Anunoby, followed by a Towns layup, cut the deficit to one. The Knicks tied it 86-86 with under eight minutes to play before Brunson took over with an 11-point flurry that pushed them ahead 97-91.
Brunson missed a potential game-winning layup in regulation with three seconds left, but in overtime, Anunoby, Bridges, and Towns sealed the comeback.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum led Boston with 23 points apiece, but the team struggled from beyond the arc — Brown hit just one of 10 threes, and the Celtics finished with a forgettable shooting night.
“We left some of their good shooters open,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “There’s detail stuff we have to be better at.”
Brown remained focused despite the loss: “We don’t have time to let stuff carry over. Short-term memory — throw it away and get ready for Game 2.”
Game 2 tips off Wednesday night in Boston.