Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 103-73 win over the Knicks in quickie form.
HEADLINES
Rozier plays the game of his life in first career start: The pressure was on Terry Rozier to step up with Kyrie Irving (quad), Marcus Smart (hand) and Shane Larkin (knee) sidelined and the 23-year-old answered the bell. In his first career start, Rozier delivered with his first career triple-double, posting 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Those totals in rebounds and assists also doubled as a career-high for the third-year guard who played arguably his best game in a Celtic uniform.
Second half beatdown: The Knicks were on the second half of a back-to-back in this contest and that became painfully apparent in the second half as the hosts broke open a five-point game at halftime with a 53-28 beatdown against the lowly Knicks. Six different Celtics scored in double digits, led by 20 points from Marcus Morris, as balanced scoring and terrific defense helped the Celtics snap a three-game home losing streak.
TURNING POINT
After a back-and-forth first half, the Celtics seized control of the game in the third quarter with some balanced offense. A 12-2 run midway through the frame pushed the hosts lead into double digits and the Knicks failed to put up much of a fight for the rest of the game, getting outscored by 28 points in the second half on the second end of a back-to-back.
TWO UP
Rozier: The 23-year-old came out red hot in his first career NBA start. He made his first four shots from the field, including all three from 3-point range to score a team-high 11 points in the first quarter alone. That aggressive offense helped fill a huge void in the backcourt to fill in for Kyrie Irving’s scoring load.
Morris: Before his injury, the forward was having one of the best games as a Celtic. He had scored 20 points on just nine shots (6-of-9 from the field) giving him his ninth straight game with a double-digit scoring performance. That streak will likely be put on hold for awhile thanks after his unfortunate fall.
TWO DOWN
The Knicks backcourt: The trio of Jarrett Jack, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr. gave the Knicks nothing on either end of the floor for most of the night. The group shot a collective 4-of-23 from the field against a feisty Celtics defense and that lack of production allowed the hosts to pull away in the third quarter.
Keeping Kanter off the glass: The seven-footer continues to put up monster games on the glass against Boston. He grabbed 17 rebounds in just 27 minutes, including five on the offensive glass. Luckily for Boston, he was one of the few players on the Knicks roster that caused a problem.
INJURY REPORT
Marcus Morris left the game with a bruised left hip after taking a scary fall in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Michael Beasley connected with an elbow to the head of Morris while the forward was finishing a dunk. Morris fell hard and walked under his own power to the locker room after spending a few minutes on the ground.
TOP PLAY
JAYLEN BROWN ??? pic.twitter.com/9M1DGVmLp3
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 1, 2018