Jayson Tatum, Celtics Beat Knicks as Season Sweep Worries Fans Ahead of NBA Playoffs

Kristaps Porziņģis scored 34 points and Jayson Tatum added 32 to lead the Boston Celtics to a 119-117 road win and a regular-season series sweep over the New York Knicks.

Porziņģis' three-pointer with 41 seconds remaining in OT gave Boston a 115-112 lead.

New York had two chances to respond on the next possession. A Jalen Brunson missed three was off the mark, but the ball went off the Celtics and back to the Knicks.

However, Knicks forward Mikal Bridges bobbled a Karl-Anthony Towns pass out-of-bounds. The Celtics kept the Knicks at bay from there thanks to four Jrue Holiday free throws.

Tatum played the hero at the end of regulation by getting the Celtics into overtime with a three-pointer with three seconds left to tie the game at 107.

Josh Hart's three in response was off the mark, sending the game into the extra session.

This was a tough defeat for the Knicks, who lost their last three games to the Celtics by a combined 63 points. New York obviously played much better Tuesday, but the game ended with the same result as the previous four.

There were some encouraging signs, namely the effort from Karl-Anthony Towns, who dominated offensively with 34 points and 14 rebounds. Brunson also looked great in his second game back following an ankle sprain, dropping 27 points and 10 assists.

Still, this was a missed opportunity for the Knicks to gain some momentum going into the playoffs and prove they can beat the Celtics, who will go into the playoffs as the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed. New York needs one win (or one Indiana Pacers loss) to lock up the No. 3 seed, so these two squads could very well meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The edge would clearly go toward Boston in that matchup. Time will tell if that actually happens, but no one would blame people for being pessimistic about the Knick's chances if they see Boston or at Knicks fans for being upset at their team dropping another one to the C's.

All the bad vibes could change in the playoffs, of course, as the Knicks at full strength have shown their capabilities.

For now, though, the Knicks still need one more win (or one Indiana Pacers loss) to clinch the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. Their next chance to take care of business themselves will be Thursday at the Detroit Pistons, while Indiana will host the Cavaliers on the same evening.