Knicks fall flat in Game 5 blowout, Celtics stay alive with 127-102 rout in Boston

With a golden opportunity to close out the series and punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks instead stumbled—hard. In their first road loss of the postseason, they were handed a humbling 127-102 defeat by a Celtics team playing with urgency, pride, and without their star, Jayson Tatum. The series now heads back to Madison Square Garden for Game 6, and suddenly, it feels a lot tighter than it did just a few days ago.

Even without Tatum, the Celtics played like a team determined to keep their season alive. They completely dominated the second half, outscoring the Knicks 32-17 in a third quarter that swung the game, the energy, and the momentum. From there, Boston never looked back.

Jalen Brunson had 22 points but ran into foul trouble after halftime, picking up five personal fouls in the third quarter alone and ultimately fouling out early in the fourth. Watching from the bench, there was little he could do as Boston piled it on. It was an uncharacteristic night for Brunson, who shot just 7-of-17 and struggled to establish his rhythm.

Josh Hart was the lone bright spot in the loss, finishing with 24 points and—true to his reputation—fighting through just about everything. Late in the first quarter, Hart drove to the basket and took a sharp elbow near the left eyebrow from former Knick Luke Kornet. Blood poured down his face, and he was quickly taken to the locker room for stitches. Naturally, Hart returned in the second quarter like nothing happened, still playing full-throttle.

Things got chippy in the second half. After a hard screen by Hart on Jaylen Brown, Brown appeared to grab Hart by the groin, which triggered a retaliatory push. Brown shoved back from behind, and a scuffle ensued before cooler heads—and referees—intervened. Both players received technicals but later embraced on the court to squash the beef.

“It’s just two competitive dudes going out there and competing at the highest level. Sometimes, tempers flare and those kinds of things. But there’s always respect.”

– Josh Hart

Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points but was outplayed by Kornet, who stepped up big in Kristaps Porzingis’ absence. Kornet delivered 10 points, 9 rebounds, and solid interior defense, starting the second half after Porzingis was limited to just one point and one rebound in 12 minutes due to illness.

The Knicks shot a season-low 35.8% from the field, despite hitting 12-of-30 from three. OG Anunoby went ice cold, shooting just 1-of-12, while Mikal Bridges wasn’t much better at 4-of-14. The offense sputtered badly in the second half as Boston turned defense into transition points and rode the hot hands of their backcourt.

Derrick White torched the Knicks with 32 points, including seven made threes, and Jaylen Brown poured in 26 of his own. Payton Pritchard added 17 off the bench, bringing hustle and floor-spacing that consistently kept the Knicks on their heels.

Game 6 is set for Friday night at 8:00 p.m. at MSG, where the Knicks will get another chance to close out the series in front of their home crowd. They still lead 3-2, but after the no-show in Boston and Boston’s ability to adapt without Tatum, the margin for error is vanishing quickly.