Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 121-112 win over the Knicks in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis.
Box score
HEADLINES
Kyrie puts on a show: The All-Star has been working his way back into elite form after returning from a quad injury in early February. He managed to find that level in Madison Square Garden by playing arguably his best all-around game as a Celtic. He posted 31 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, including 11 points over a 90-second stretch of the third quarter. The 25-year-old also tied his season-high in 3-point makes (six) and rebounds on a night the visitors desperately needed a spark on the second half of a back-to-back.
Not bad. Not bad at all. pic.twitter.com/IhYEjxPYQI
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 25, 2018
A step back on defense:
While the effort wasn’t really an issue for the better part of 48 minutes, this was a sloppy performance by the Celtics defense. A lack of focus was evident at times given the number of communication issues in transition and in the half court. Boston played like a team that knew it could win with its offense and they luckily were able to back that attitude up in the final result. However, Brad Stevens isn’t going to be happy looking at this game film, particularly with the second unit as the Knicks reserve backcourt of Trey Burke (26 points, 8 assists) and Troy Williams (12 points) kept things closer than they should have been against a tanking team.
TURNING POINT
TWO UP
Jaylen Brown:
The 21-year-old made a miserable offensive start a distant memory over the final 42 minutes of this contest. He made 10 of his final 13 shot attempts on the night and finished with 24 points, his first time breaking the 20-point barrier in a month. It was the 11th time this year that he cracked the 20-plus point threshold.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 25, 2018
Trey Burke:
The former Michigan standout went from a lottery pick four years ago to out of the league by the start of this season. He played his way back into the league after a stellar couple months in the G-League and played one of the best games of his NBA career against the Celtics on Saturday night, wreaking havoc against the second unit with 26 points and eight assists. His defense still needs some work, but he’ll be in the league for awhile if his jump shot stays consistent.
TWO DOWN
Greg Monroe:
The learning curve is becoming less of a factor for the big man as he gains more experience with the C’s, but he continues to be a net negative when he’s on the floor with the second unit. Monroe’s defense remains a liability and his finishing at the rim has been subpar as well. Despite having some ideal mismatches on Saturday night, he missed five of his seven shot attempts (all in the paint) and the Celtics were outscored by nine points over his 11 minutes. Other teams continue to target him on defense and he’s not making up for it with his offense.
All bench unit defense:
One night after showing some flashes of brilliance in Detroit, this group played a couple of ugly stretches in both halves. Terry Rozier got roasted by Trey Burke on plenty of occasions, while the combination of Monroe and Marcus Morris on the back line led to a few easy opportunities at the rim for an undermanned Knicks team.
TOP PLAY
Smart saw that pass coming from a mile away. pic.twitter.com/upRRDIW8mt
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 25, 2018
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Al Horford is starting to turn into a one-trick pony on offense:
It’s not a major issue just yet, but Horford had another tough shooting night from inside the arc (2-of-8 FG). He hasn’t been able to get much going with his postups and around the rim for a few weeks now, but his 3-point shooting (43.3 percent) remains elite for a big man. It’s not an issue when Irving is rolling and the Celtics’ offense gets some help from the youngsters but Horford is going to need to be more than a spot-up shooter for this team to go deep in the playoffs.
Daniel Theis started but I would expect Aron Baynes back with that group when he’s healthy again:
The German delivered a solid performance in his third career start (six points, seven rebounds in 19 minutes) and his skill set meshes well with the starting five. However, it’s hard to envision Baynes and Monroe both getting minutes off the Celtics bench if Theis were to start on a regular basis since that duo can’t play together. Unless Brad Stevens is willing to keep one of those bigs out of the rotation entirely, Theis is going to have to remain with the second unit once Baynes is back. His mobility is essential to making a more traditional frontline work.