Tatum Jumper Lifts Celtics To 104-102 Win Over Knicks
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum hit a turnaround jumper with 1.3 seconds remaining, and the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks 104-102 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.
Tatum finished with 24 points. Kemba Walker scored 23 of his 33 points in the second half, and Gordon Hayward had 13 points and nine boards.
Unlike a 118-95 rout at Madison Square Garden the previous Saturday, Boston was pushed by New York until the very end of a game that featured 24 lead changes and 10 ties.
Marcus Morris led the Knicks with 29 points, hitting a tying 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left. Rookie RJ Barrett finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
After Morris' late 3, the Celtics called timeout and Marcus Smart inbounded the ball to Tatum in the corner for the game-winner.
It was the third straight game with 30-plus points by Walker, who scored 32 in the previous two and finished with his best game since signing with the Celtics as a free agent.
The Knicks led 50-49 at halftime and opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer by Frank Ntilinkina, starting a period full of shots from beyond the arc. Both clubs hit five 3-pointers in the quarter before the Celtics carried a 75-74 lead into the fourth.
The back-and-forth continued in the final period. Boston regained the lead on a three-point play by Walker, putting the Celtics up 87-86 with 5:19 remaining.
Hayward followed with a 3-pointer and Tatum hit a pair of foul shots to stretch the lead to 92-86 with 4:14 left to play. The Knicks pulled within a point at 92-91, then again at 95-94 on a 3-pointer by Morris, but the Celtics answered with a pair of free throws by Walker and a 3-pointer by Tatum with 1:50 remaining, giving Boston a 99-94 lead.
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