Knicks win 6th straight, drop Celtics from top spot in NBA
By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK - Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley each scored 23 points, and the surging New York Knicks knocked the Boston Celtics out of the top spot in the NBA with their sixth straight victory, 109-94 on Monday night.
Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum struggled through a 6-for-18 shooting performance and was ejected in the fourth quarter after picking up his second technical foul. He finished with 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Jalen Brunson added 17 points for the Knicks (36-27), who inched ahead of Brooklyn into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 22 for the Celtics (44-18), who were missing All-Star Jaylen Brown due to personal reasons. They slipped percentage points behind Milwaukee (43-17), which has won 14 straight games and now owns the NBA's best record.
Marcus Smart added 19 points but Boston missed 20 of its first 22 attempts from 3-point range and had its three-game winning streak snapped.
New York took control in the second quarter and never gave it up. The margin was in double digits for most of the second half, with the Celtics unable to shoot well enough to sustain any good stretch.
Tatum beat the 76ers on Saturday in Philadelphia with a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left for a 110-107 victory, but couldn't get his outside shot going Monday. He missed his first six 3-point tries and finished 1 for 9 behind the arc. Even when he got inside, things didn't work out. His driving dunk in the third quarter was followed by his first technical foul for hanging onto the rim.
He picked up his second and was thrown out moments after his final 3-point miss in the fourth, screaming and gesturing at halfcourt believing he was fouled.
Randle scored 12 points in the first quarter and Boston went 1 for 12 behind the arc as New York took a 27-15 lead.
Brunson's three-point play capped an 8-0 run and gave the Knicks a 47-27 lead midway through the second quarter. The Celtics rallied with 12 in a row to get within 49-41, but RJ Barrett steadied the Knicks with a 3-pointer followed by a three-point play, and the lead was back up to 60-46 at the break.
The teams meet again Sunday in Boston.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Coach Joe Mazzulla said Brown was expected back Wednesday against Cleveland. ... Derrick White started for Brown and scored 13 points but missed all five 3-point attempts.
Knicks: Need one victory to match their total from last season after finishing 37-45. ... Mitchell Robinson had 10 points, making all five shots, and 13 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Celtics: Host Cleveland on Wednesday.
Knicks: Host Brooklyn on Wednesday.
