The Boston Celtics showed that the defending champions aren’t going to be put away that easily as they clawed one back against the New York Knicks.
After dropping two home games against the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics repaid the favor, winning 115-93 at the Madison Square Garden to liven up the series.
Jalen Brunson’s 27-point effort went in vain while the Celtics’ insistence on living and dying by the three finally worked out to great effect.
They shot 50% from three on 40 attempts as a team-wide effort got them the win. The coverage after the game was dominated by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, as expected, but Bill Simmons called out ESPN for not even mentioning a ‘superb’ Celtics star who was instrumental against the Knicks.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesBoston Celtics’ ‘superb’ star vs the New York Knicks
The Celtics’ superstar core is set with Brown and Tatum but the championship last season was down to the efforts of their role players stepping up.
Players like Derrick White and Al Horford made big shots and locked down their man when called upon and the result was a ring at the end of the season.
Against the Knicks in Game 3, that version of the Celtics returned, as no player scored more than 30 points but five players finished in double figures.
The top-scorer, surprisingly, was Payton Pritchard, who finally found his range and went off for 23 points, shooting 5/10 from 3PT.
After the game, he flew under the radar during the coverage of the win, something Bill Simmons took umbrage to.
Simmons said: “I know ESPN didn’t mention it for almost 2 hours – but that was a superb Pritchard game. Played 18 huge mins in first half. They really needed him today.”
I know ESPN didn’t mention it for almost 2 hours – but that was a superb Pritchard game. Played 18 huge mins in first half. They really needed him today.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 10, 2025
View Tweet
Boston Celtics finding their groove
Pritchard going off happened at the perfect time for the Celtics as they were potentially staring down the barrel.
They had lost two away games and needed to win on the Knicks’ court to stand a chance, and their role players coming to the party spells trouble for the Knicks.
The defending champions are finding their groove at the right time and the Knicks will be well aware of how important Game 4 has just become.
Pritchard came through this time, and the likes of Al Horford and White contributed too. The Celtics winning despite getting just 41 combined points from Tatum and Brown is worrying for the Knicks.
The Celtics role players are here.