Celtics vs. Knicks: Score and Twitter Reaction from Christmas Day 2016

The New York Knicks trotted into Sunday's Christmas matinee against the Boston Celtics looking to extend their winning streak to three games, but the visitors had other ideas.

With their sights set on washing away memories of a tough loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, the Celtics dispatched the Knicks 119-114 at Madison Square Garden thanks to a go-ahead three-pointer by Marcus Smart with 47 seconds remaining.

Smart's long-range conversion came on the heels of a 16-3 New York run that tied the game at 112 after the Knicks had trailed by nine points with less than two-and-a-half minutes to go, via the NBA:

Boston's Isaiah Thomas starred with 27 points and four assists, while Kelly Olynyk and Smart came up large with 16 and 15 points, respectively, off the bench.

Then there was Al Horford, who operated deftly below the free-throw line, recording 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, two blocks and one monster tomahawk dunk over Kristaps Porzingis:

Speaking of New York's stretchy big, Porzingis scored 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go with 12 boards and four blocks.

Derrick Rose was electric as well and finished with 25 points, but he was a sieve on defense and couldn't stay in front of the Celtics' bevy of backcourt talents, as Vice Sports' Jared Dubin pointed out:

Carmelo Anthony added a game-high 29 points on 9-of-24 shooting to help the Knicks stay close through three quarters, but he was relatively quiet in the fourth quarter and was never fully in the zone as New York was forced to play from behind after Boston (18-13) caught fire late in the first half.

The Celtics found a rhythm from beyond the arc in the second frame following a sluggish start, and sweet shooting by Jae Crowder (16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep) helped propel Boston in front before halftime.

At his hottest, Crowder scored nine straight points from beyond the arc as the Celtics seized a five-point lead during a quarter in which they outscored the Knicks (16-14) by 14 points, via NBA TV:

Bleacher Report's Dan Favale joked that Crowder's unconscious stylings resembled those of a certain reigning MVP:

Boston carried an eight-point lead into the break, and it stretched that edge to 10 with under six minutes remaining in the third quarter as the New York defense searched for answers, according to The Crossover:

But Anthony started to simmer following a slow start—and the intensity of the game ramped up in conjunction with his scoring surge.

He dropped 15 points in the third quarter alone, but Crowder forced him to fight for every bucket when the two were matched up in the post or on the perimeter.

As a result, Anthony didn't put forth a particularly efficient display. Contact beneath the basket forced him to miss several close-range looks, and an inability to rise and fire with ease from mid-range or the left wing hindered his scoring chances.

The Knicks were also hurt by their struggles in the distribution department—especially compared to the Celtics.

Boston kept the ball moving at a brisk pace and finished with 25 assists to six turnovers, while New York mustered just 11 dimes compared to 17 giveaways.

The Knicks will return to the floor Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks to start a three-game road trip. They'll also face the New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets on Friday and Saturday.

The Celtics, meanwhile, will return home for a date with the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday before they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday and host the Miami Heat on Friday.

Postgame Reaction

According to ESPN.com's Ian Begley, New York head coach Jeff Hornacek wasn't interested in silver linings:

"They are a good team," Hornacek said, per the Knicks' Twitter account. "They play hard. Isaiah is a handful. Our guys battled, though."

Boston head coach Brad Stevens had a similar assessment of his team.

"I thought our guys really battled, and the response was great when [New York] tied it up," he said, per the team's Twitter account.

MassLive.com's Jay King added that "Stevens was clearly fired up about the way the Celtics handled business with a tough stretch of travel/games."

Said Horford, per Boston: "From the first game of the year to now, we've definitely come a long way as a group."