Knicks 111, Celtics 89: Jalen Brunson scores 31 points to snap C's five-game win streak

The Celtics got their five-game win streak snapped Sunday afternoon in a 111-89 loss to the New York Knicks at TD Garden.

Jaylen Brown finished with 26 points on 11-of-25 from the field, while Derrick White had 19 points, newcomer Nikola Vučević added 11 points, and Baylor Scheierman notched a double-double of 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the C's -- who fell to 34-19 on the season and third place in the Eastern Conference.

"We gotta figure out the chemistry a little bit, the flow a little bit," Brown told reporters. "We want Vooch to be more aggressive. We're looking for him to get going and make him feel confident in taking those shots and where he can catch the ball. We're still learning, but we need him to be more aggressive, so we'll make some adjustments. We'll communicate. We'll watch film, and we'll be better for it."

Jalen Brunson had 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting and eight assists, while Josh Hart added 19 points, Mikal Bridges scored 14 points and Karl Anthony Towns recorded 11 points, 10 rebounds for the Knicks -- who improved to 34-19 and are back in second place with owning the tie-breaker at 2-1.

Boston trailed by as many as 17 in the first half, while Brunson had 19 points through two quarters before the deficit was cut to single digits by the break (60-53), despite going only 5-of-22 from 3-point range.

New York used a 20-7 run to end the third, holding the home team to just 15 points for the entire period, as they took an 85-68 advantage into the final frame. Brunson scored 10 unanswered points to give the Knicks a 23-point lead with four minutes left to play.

In the end, New York hit 14-of-35 (40%) from deep and the Celtics connected on just 7-of-41 (17%) from long distance.

"I think we're up to 15 or 17 different ones, so nothing's changed," Joe Mazzulla said in his postgame comments when asked about the change in rotations since the trade deadline. "Everybody on our roster has a chance to impact winning. We have a chance to develop and do different things there. So whether it's before or after the trade deadline, nothing changes in our approach. How do we have flexibility? How do we know everyone on the roster has a chance to impact winning? We just keep developing identities and whatnot."

The Celtics will welcome back Anfernee Simons Wednesday night when they host the Chicago Bulls, before they're off for the All-Star break.

Game Notes:

Boston knocked down 37% of their shot attempts and the visiting team were 48% from the field. New York out-rebounded the Celtics 46-44 but were outscored in the paint 52-38. The Knicks had 23 dimes on 40 baskets and just eight turnovers to the C's 22 assists on 34 made shots, while turning the ball over 10 times.

 

Joel Pavón

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Photo used courtesy of The Associated Press