Final: Celtics 128, Knicks 100 -- Offense explodes again as C's win fourth straight

There hasn’t been a better offense in the NBA over the past ten days than the Celtics and that trend continued on Thursday night against one of the worst defense in the league. Kyrie Irving (22 points, 8 assists) led seven different Celtics in double figures as the hosts passed the 115-point mark in four consecutive games for the first time since December 1990. Al Horford also added his first double-double of the year with 19 points and 12 rebounds while the C’s shot 53 percent from the field. Jaylen Brown added 21 points in 25 minutes in his return from a bruised tailbone as the C's improved to 14-10 on the year. 

First Half Notes 

• The C's offense picks up right where it left off in the early minutes against the Knicks. Strong ball movement and balanced scoring is the name of the game with Al Horford and Kyrie Irving serving as facilitators.


• Knicks doing their best to hang in there despite taking a tough opening punch from the C's with their offense. They shot over 50 percent for much of the first half behind the bigs halves from their bigs in Vonleh (10 points) and Kanter (10 points).


• Gordon Hayward continues to make an impact with his passing in transition just as much, if not more than his shooting. He's pushing the ball off rebounds and makes, dishing out three assists off the bench in 14 minutes.


• Tough break for the C's late in the first quarter as Aron Baynes landed awkwardly on his ankle and hobbled to the locker room. He's ruled out for the game and will probably missed some extended time based on how ugly it looked.


• Terrific return for Jaylen Brown who made all four of his baskets at the rim in the first half, tying a team-high with 12 points, great aggression shown by the 21-year-old in his return.


• Al Horford scored all 11 of his points in the second quarter as he got hot in the pick-and-roll late in the half


• C's shoot 55.1 percent from the floor in the first half and don't miss from the line.

• Jaylen Brown will make his return to the active roster after missing four games with a tailbone injury. He's not expected to start to start upon his return, making it the first time all season he will come off the bench.


• Celtics nemesis Trey Burke will be sidelined for this contest with a sprained MCL, which will give more reps in the backcourt to Mudiay and Courtney Lee, who returned to the lineup for the first time earlier this week. Lance Thomas also remains out for the Knicks.


• The Celtics have played their three best offensive games of the year during the team's three-game winning streak. New York has the 27th ranked defense in the league, so they should be able to continue that momentum at the Garden.


• This will be the last time the Celtics see the Knicks for a while after two matchups in the first month of the year. They have split the season series so far (1-1) and will wrap it up in New York in early February.