BSJ Game Report: Knicks 109, Celtics 94 - Tatum tossed, shooting disappears in frustrating loss

Everything you need to know about the Celtics loss to the New York Knicks, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

We saw another slow start with a lot of missed 3-pointers in this first quarter, with Jayson Tatum struggling again. They kept it close until a late Knicks run to open up a double-digit lead. It grew to 20 in the second quarter until a 12-0 Celtics run built on attacking the paint, but the Knicks answered to take a 14-point halftime lead. The Celtics actually won the third quarter but every time they tried to make a run, New York would answer. Derrick White helped cut back into the lead, but they could never get any closer than 10. To top it off, Tatum was ejected for arguing with the officials. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

Live by the 3...: You know how the rest of this goes. I feel like they settled for some early ones to start the game and then never were able to get it going after that. They actually had a stretch in the second quarter where they got into the paint and that worked really well for them, but by the end, not even good, solid drive-and-kick ball would lead to anything falling. I didn’t like how they started the game at all, but by the end, they were actually doing a lot of the right things and missing. 

Tatum’s cold streak: Tatum has been doing a good job managing his shooting slump by doing other things, and he did have 9 assists in this game, but he’s not playing anything like the guy who was a top MVP candidate. He only got to the line once (something that I’m sure was part of the frustration that led to his ejection) and he started out trying to find his 3-point shot first and then attacking when it should be the other way around. 

Nothing from the bench: Pardon me as I quote myself from the Live Coverage post: 

“How the Knicks win: Big contributions from the bench to negate Boston’s depth. If Josh Hart can come in and make an impact on both ends of the floor, then this game is going to be a problem for Boston. The depth will already be challenged with Derrick White likely sliding in to start for Jaylen Brown. If Boston’s bench is outscored and outplayed, the Celtics will likely lose.”

Boston’s bench was outscored 44-29. Malcolm Brogdon had 22 of those 29 points. The Celtics got 3 points from Mike Muscala, 2 from Sam Hauser, and 2 from Grant Williams. Unacceptable. 

Frustration with the refs: Tatum got thrown out for arguing, but the frustration didn't end there. The Knicks took 20 more free throws than Boston, outscoring the Celtics by 12 at the line. After a similar disparity in Philadelphia, Joe Mazzulla admitted his team was fouling a lot. In this game, he said "It wasn't like Philadelphia" when asked about the calls. He left it there so as not to draw a fine, but it's obvious the team was frustrated by the officiating all night.

Second place: The Celtics now fall percentage points behind the Milwaukee Bucks at the top of the East. This is only the second time since November 14 that Boston has been out of first place. Milwaukee sat in first for five days in the middle of December. 

TURNING POINT

The Celtics had the lead down to 10 with possession when they got Hauser a wide-open 3-pointer which, of course, missed. Obi Toppin finished a dunk on the other end. Mitchell Robinson then blocked Brogdon’s layup and tipped in a miss to make it a 14-point game. The Celtics never really mounted another charge. 

SECOND GUESS

On a night where the Celtics didn’t have it at ALL from 3, maybe Mazzulla waited too long to go with shooters and space. The early substitution to bring in Blake Griffin was a defensive-minded one, which I get, but the Celtics' offense was in a brutal hole. I would have broken that glass sooner and brought in Muscala. The spacing changed and Boston seemed to start playing better when he did finally come in, but there was no stopping the train at that point. 

THREE UP

Malcolm Brogdon: He’s the only guy with a decent stat line out of this. He finished with 22 points on 10-16 shooting (2-5 3pt). It's like he was the only guy at the table who didn’t have the fish at a wedding where everyone else got food poisoning. 

Marcus Smart: A nice bounceback after his last game. Not perfect by any stretch, and obviously he was guilty of a couple of bad early 3-pointers, but he was also the catalyst for the attack-the-rim second-quarter stretch that I thought might change the game. He also had this blocked shot. 

Wow. That's undeniably great. 

Derrick White: I thought he played well, even though he did have the fish. Maybe he only had a couple of bites and took some Pepto or something. You know what? I’m going to let that analogy die right here because I’m about to get to the “down” section and I don’t want to see where it goes. 

THREE DOWN

Grant Williams: I have to dive more into why he has been such a negative lately (the Philly game notwithstanding. He played great defense). Grant Williams is critical to Boston’s future success, so he can’t check in with 2 points on 2 shots in a game like this. They need him to do more.

Blake Griffin: -11 in 5:36 is actually impressive. I shouldn’t really fault him, though. Mazzulla shouldn’t have played him.

Jayson Tatum: Much more on Tatum separately, but his post All-Star swoon is not encouraging. Maybe he’s just tired from what has essentially become an extended time away from home. 

“I ain’t been home in two weeks,” he said. “Miss my bed, seeing Deuce. Just get back home and get some home-cooked meals, get ready for Wednesday."

That's fair. It’s tough to be away for that long, even if you’re having fun. At the same time, it’s tough to watch him play all that time in the All-Star game and shoot so well and then come out the last three games and miss almost everything (sorry, Philadelphia). 

Credit to Josh Hart for his defense on Tatum. Hart was really good. But also, Tatum should be good enough and in the right headspace to beat Hart. Post him up. Get off the ball and cut more. Do something to use the advantage you have. 

TOP PLAYS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- This is part of the process

Boston has gone through some pretty distinct phases of the season. Now they're in the phase of being fully healthy (Brown’s absence here notwithstanding) and trying to figure out how to work together with this group. 

“There is a process that we have to go through,” Al Horford said. “I feel like we’re just continuing to really find it, and I see this as a great opportunity because these are the games that I feel like we need to understand how we want to play with what we have out there. I feel like this is what this last stretch is all about.”

The starting lineup has only played a few games together. Yes, they played together last year, and that will make things easier. But this group, with these substitutions, under this coach, with this year’s mentality hasn’t played together much. 

Familiarity will help expedite the process, but this is still part of the process. Mazzulla emphasizes different things. Tatum’s a different kind of player. Guys have different motivations. Some guys are more comfortable. Some are less. 

So Horford is right. The time to figure out how to get through the adversity is right now, because other teams see the Celtics as the measuring stick. Boston gets no nights off. They never get taken lightly. 

This was a test tonight, and they failed. The way they failed was disappointing. With 20 games left in the season, it’s even a bit infuriating. But failure breeds success if lessons are learned. 

Each year is about building new habits. The Celtics have been pretty good all year long about figuring things out along the way. Now they have one more lap in the regular season before the playoffs come calling. 

“These teams are trying to send the message, they're trying to send the statement,” Horford said. “For us, it’s about continuing to get better as a group. Tonight, obviously, we struggled with our shooting but it's a learning opportunity for our group.”

Next Up: The Celtics return home to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.