New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics

The NBA Eastern Conference semi-final playoff matchup between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics returns to Madison Square Garden for Game 6 on Saturday.

The Celtics kept their championship aspirations alive with a commanding 127-102 win on Thursday, and they now aim to even the series to force a decisive Game 7, where they would benefit from home-court advantage.

Match Preview

The Boston Celtics faced elimination for the first time in two years but stayed in the fight after a dominant second-half display at TD Garden on Thursday, outscoring the Knicks 68-43 to narrow the series to 3-2.

Finishing the comeback will be a tough task for the reigning champions, as they will be without Jayson Tatum for the rest of the playoffs due to a torn Achilles suffered in Game 4. Additionally, Kristaps Porzingis is battling an illness that forced him out at the start of the third quarter in the last game due to respiratory issues, as confirmed by coach Joe Mazzulla post-game.

Despite these challenges, Derrick White rose to the occasion, leading the team with 34 points, while Jaylen Brown delivered one of his strongest postseason performances, contributing 26 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds.

The Celtics’ depth shone through in their latest victory, with Payton Pritchard providing a spark off the bench with 17 points and Luke Kornet dominating defensively, recording seven blocks and 10 points on perfect five-for-five shooting.

On the other side, the New York Knicks were competitive at halftime with the score tied, but they couldn’t slow down Brown and White in the second half. This was particularly noticeable with OG Anunoby, who struggled to contain Brown in the second period and ended with just six points on a poor one-for-six shooting night.

Josh Hart performed well, posting 24 points and seven rebounds, and Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 19 points and eight rebounds, but the Knicks couldn’t close the gap in the fourth quarter after Jalen Brunson fouled out, finishing with 22 points in 33 minutes.

Brunson has been the cornerstone of the Knicks’ playoff run, leading the postseason in scoring, and the Celtics managed to limit his impact by getting him into foul trouble defensively in the last game. It will be intriguing to see how they handle his offensive threat in this crucial game in New York.