Knicks fall to Celtics 119-117 in OT despite big nights from Towns and Brunson

It was another close-but-not-quite night for the Knicks against the NBA’s elite. Despite a monster performance from Karl-Anthony Towns (34 points, 14 rebounds) and a double-double from Jalen Brunson (27 points, 10 assists), the Knicks came up just short in a 119-117 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.

The defeat sealed a regular season sweep for the Celtics, who are now 4-0 against New York this year.

“Just an all-around better game, execution, it gave us a chance to win, but they’re a great team. Give them credit where credit is due. Defending champions did exactly what defending champions do.”

– Karl-Anthony Towns

The Knicks looked like they might finally flip the script against Boston in the final minutes of regulation. After trailing 100-93 with under five minutes to go, they stormed back with a 12-2 run capped by a go-ahead basket from Josh Hart in the paint. With a three-point lead in the final moments, New York opted not to foul—and it proved costly. Jayson Tatum drained a game-tying three with 3.1 seconds left. Hart had a shot to win it at the buzzer, pulling up from 25 feet, but the attempt clanged off the rim.

In overtime, it was Boston who pulled ahead late. Kristaps Porzingis (34 points) and Tatum (32 points) kept the Celtics afloat, and with 12.1 seconds left, Boston grabbed a five-point lead. Brunson hit a three as time expired, but it was too late to matter.

Josh Hart turned in another gritty all-around performance with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. OG Anunoby added 13 points and 8 boards, but the Knicks couldn’t capitalize on their paint dominance.

They outscored the Celtics 60-30 in the paint but struggled where it counted—on the perimeter and at the line. Boston shot 19-of-49 (38.8%) from three, compared to New York’s cold 11-of-38 (28.9%), and the Celtics also hit 20-of-25 from the free-throw line while the Knicks managed just 10-of-16.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Knicks have hit the 50-win mark—a milestone on paper—but their 1-10 record against top-tier teams tells a different story. They’ve been swept by Boston (0-4), Cleveland (0-3 so far), and Oklahoma City (0-2), leaving their ability to compete with the league’s best in question. They did manage to split the season series with the 52-win Rockets and have a final chance to avoid a sweep against the Cavaliers on Friday.

Up-next: Knicks (50-29) will take on the Pistons (43-36) on Thursday in Detroit.