Celtics punch back in Game 3, rout Knicks 115-93 to trim series to 2-1

After two straight miracle comebacks in Boston, the Knicks returned to MSG with momentum, belief, and the crowd behind them. But in Game 3, there was no magic—just a Celtics team that looked like it had enough of the drama and decided to take care of business early and emphatically.

New York never led. Boston built an 18-point lead late in the first quarter, outscored the Knicks in each of the first three periods, and never showed even a flicker of giving it up.

When the deficit ballooned to 29 points, the Garden was quieter than it had been all postseason, and fans couldn’t help but wonder: could they really pull off a third straight 20-point comeback? This time, the answer was clear. They couldn’t.

The final score—115-93—was as convincing as it sounds. The Celtics cut the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1 and looked every bit the top-two seed that had swept New York in the regular season.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 27 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21, but it was a rough night efficiency-wise. Towns shot just 5-of-18 from the field, OG Anunoby went 1-for-6, and Josh Hart managed just 3-of-9. The Knicks as a team shot a flat 40% from the field and hit only 5-of-25 from beyond the arc.

Meanwhile, Boston, who had gone a combined 25-of-100 from deep in Games 1 and 2, finally snapped out of their slump. They drilled 20-of-40 threes—an exact 50%—with Payton Pritchard coming off the bench to lead the charge with 23 points and five triples. Jayson Tatum added 22 points and went 5-of-9 from deep, while Jaylen Brown chipped in 19.

“Obviously they are going to shoot their 3s however they get them. Fortunately for us, they were missing in Games 1 and 2. Tonight they made them.”

– Jalen Brunson

Every time the Knicks made a three, the Celtics had an answer—except for a brief moment early in the third when Miles McBride and Brunson each hit a triple to trim the lead from 26 to 20. That was as close as it got for the rest of the game.

“When it comes to our pick-and roll-defense, we are going to have our covers and we’re going to stick to what we do and we’re going to adjust when we need to adjust, but everything we need to do has to be with more intensity and more urgency and more force.”

– Jalen Brunson

There was no late surge this time, no rope-a-dope fourth quarter, no Mikal Bridges defensive dagger. Just a wire-to-wire Celtics win that served as a sharp reminder: this series isn’t over, and Boston still has plenty of fight.

Game 4 is set for Monday night at 7:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks still lead the series 2-1, but they now know the Celtics aren’t going quietly.