Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle Wow NBA Twitter in Knicks' Win vs. Jayson Tatum, Celtics
It was anything but easy, but the New York Knicks escaped TD Garden on Thursday with arguably their most impressive win of the season.
New York improved to 27-23 and won its second straight with a 120-117 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics in the potential playoff preview. Boston has now lost three in a row but is still 35-15 on the campaign.
It seemed as if the visitors were going to cruise to a victory when they built a 12-point lead with fewer than five minutes remaining, but Jayson Tatum shifted into takeover mode and led Boston all the way back. His layup in the final minute of regulation forced overtime, and it appeared as if the Celtics survived New York's biggest challenge.
And then the Knicks bounced back from their poor finish in the fourth quarter to win in overtime thanks to a late three-pointer by RJ Barrett, clutch free throws from Julius Randle, Jaylen Brown's two missed free throws in the last 10 seconds and Jalen Brunson's block on Malcolm Brogdon's desperation three-pointer.
Randle and Brunson were fittingly involved because they put on a show throughout the contest and earned plenty of reaction on social media:
Thursday seemed like a golden opportunity for Boston to stop its brief losing streak on its home floor, especially when it jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter. However, Randle and Brunson put the Knicks on their back throughout the middle portion of the game and finished with dominant performances.
Randle posted 37 points and nine rebounds with a combination of step-back three-pointers and drives to the lane that included a monster dunk over Tatum that silenced the Boston crowd.
Brunson tallied 29 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two blocks, none of which were more important than the final one. He danced through the Celtics' defense for extended stretches and either created shots for himself or others.
Tatum and Brown may be one of the NBA's elite one-two punches, but it was Randle and Brunson who shined the brightest in Thursday's matchup.
