BSJ Game Report: Celtics 115, Knicks 93 - Shots finally fall as C's get Game 3 blowout win

NEW YORK -- Everything you need to know about the Celtics' win over the Knicks in Game 3 of their East semifinal series, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics came out hot, hitting six of seven 3-pointers and getting very evenly distributed scoring to go up 16. The Celtics added nine to that lead by continuing their hot shooting. The third quarter slowed down a bit, but they still added a point to their lead to start the fourth up 96-70. They slowed down even more in the fourth, but they made enough plays to maintain most of their lead and win going away. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

- That's more like it: This is the closest the Celtics have come to looking like themselves. They shot 20-40 from 3, moving the ball more, and defending better. They got timely shots at points where they haven't in the first two games, and they stuck to their stated principles a little more closely. It was not perfect, but it was much better. 

- Payton Pritchard makes an impact: After playing in the low-20-minute range in Games 1 and 2, Pritchard got 34 minutes off the bench and made the most of it. He scored a team-high 23 to give the Celtics a massive boost they didn’t get in previous games.

"Payton was huge. Payton was great,” Jaylen Brown said. “They're physical, they've got some big guards. Wings that like to load up on the ball. The level of physicality is higher. So you gotta be able to make those passes and be able to make those shots and make those plays. Payton did a great job of that tonight."

- Defense does its job: They got key stops when they needed them and, once again, they held the Knicks below 100 points. They never let New York truly threaten their lead with an extended run. 

TURNING POINT

The Celtics went on a 9-0 run in the middle of the second quarter to push a 13 point lead to 22. The game kind of lingered around there most of the rest of the way. 

Honorable mention to the end of the second quarter run when the Knicks cut it to 17. Which brings me to … 

THINGS I LIKED

- Ending quarters strong: Jalen Brunson hit a 3-pointer with 2:55 left in the first half and there was a little feeling of “here we go again.” In games 1 and 2, the Celtics let the Knicks go on end-of-quarter runs to give them life. Instead, Boston closed the quarter on a 14-6 run to enter halftime up 25. This is just as much of a turning point as getting the lead up to 22 in the first place. 

“We won the end of quarters, and we didn’t have 11 live-ball turnovers,” Joe Mazzulla said. “I can’t stress to you the importance of not throwing the ball to the other team so they get out in transition, and they have 28 points in transition in Game 2, and not ending quarters well, when it’s at 20 and it gets to 12 with 58 seconds left in the third, like you have to end quarters. You have to start quarters well. You have to value the basketball, you have to win the margins.”

- The  defense: They limited the guys who have been killing them in this series, with OG Anunoby scoring just two points and non-Brunson Knicks starters combining to shoot 1-12 from 3. They got some big plays and key stops along the way to keep their lead in the 20s. They had three blocks and a steal in just about one minute to keep the Knicks from walking their lead down and making one last push in the fourth.

- Al Horford: He had one of those blocks, a monster stuff of Mitchell Robinson at the rim, which led to a pretty funny Jaylen Brown mic’d up moment. 

He also 3-4 from 3, putting up 15 points and nine rebounds. He also caught this lob from Brown. 

"I looked at him, he looked at me, we made eye contact and I was like, ‘I’m about to throw it.’ And he was like, ‘All right,'" Brown joked. "So I threw it to him and he went and got it. So Al was great tonight. He made some big-time blocks, some big-time rebounds, and that’s what we need, that level of physicality and that level of aggressiveness on both ends. So big-time game from Al."

- Payton Pritchard: Mazzulla said Jrue Holiday’s foul trouble contributed to the uptick in minutes for Pritchard, but whatever the reason, Pritchard delivered in a big way. Most importantly, Brunson couldn't feast on Pritchard defending him. Pritchard gets targeted when he’s on the floor, but the more he can hold his own, the more time he should get. 

His 23 points and five 3-pointers were playoff career-highs. 

- Derrick White: It was nice to see him get back to making shots. He finished with 17 points on 6-10 shooting (3-6 from 3). 

- Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown: I actually don't think they played particularly great games. I think some of their shots fell, which is very important. I think they defended well, which started some transition chances. But I also think there was a little too much matchup hunting. Ultimately, Tatum put up 22/9/7 and Brown had 19/6/5. They turned it over a few times, but nothing out of the ordinary. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Offense bogging down: I’m not a fan of 19 fourth-quarter points. I still think the Celtics need to be better about moving the ball in the fourth quarter and getting the ball side-to-side. I want to see them run their offense a little deeper into the quarter before they go into stalling and matchup hunting. 

- Fouling: The Knicks shot 35 free throws. They only made 24, which helped. 

HIGHLIGHTS

THREE TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- The pressure is on New York now. 

The Celtics have a chance to win both their road games now and make this a best-of-three series, which puts the pressure on New York to win Game 4. If they lose that game, the Celtics will be heading home with a chance to take the series lead. 

Game 4 is a must-win for New York. Lose that one and the talk all shifts to how Games 1 and 2 were fluky wins for the Knicks. I never thought the Knicks could win this series, so if Boston wins Game 4, I think they’ll end up finishing the Knicks off.

- Kristaps Porzingis showed me something. 

I'm not 100% sure what to expect out of him, but he showed some signs of life in this game. It wasn't a good or bad game, necessarily, but he played some decent defense, blocked a few shots, and had that assist to Luke Kornet. 

This is the most confusing situation I've seen in a long time, so I have no idea where to go with it, but I'm hopeful that some of this good play translates into more energy and effectiveness for Game 4.

- Karl-Anthony Towns is a disaster. 

I know I’ve said this before, but holy hell is he tough to watch sometimes. I can’t imagine having a team built around him. I hear about how guys are soft all the time, but KAT is marshmallow soft. Watching him drive late in games is brutal. 

Next up: Game 4 is on Monday at 7:30