The Knicks’ five-game losing streak is over. A confrontation with the main team of the Eastern Conference was enough.
The Celtics were losing Jayson Tatum and looked unwell, and the Knicks took advantage and brought energy to escape with a dominant 105-75 victory on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.
The Knicks (6-8) never lost, leading by up to 37 points to get out of their fear and deliver a gift to coach Tom Thibodeau on his 63rd birthday. The defense opened the way, holding the Celtics (8-4) with a point drop of the season.
Despite their recent struggles, the Knicks now have victories over the Celtics and the Bucks, two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Julius Randle (20 points, 12 rebounds), RJ Barrett (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Immanuel Quickley (17 points, eight assists) supplied the Knicks, while Obi Toppin set his career record with 12 points in the effort of victory.
Amid doubts about how to shake the lineup, Thibodeau kept the same five starters, and they came out strong from the tip to establish an early advantage. Randle and Barrett added 19 points and 10 rebounds in the first quarter, with the Knicks taking a 28 to 17 lead in the first 12 minutes.
Jaylen Brown kept the Celtics in the game earlier, scoring 11 points in the first quarter, but otherwise they looked sloppy after playing just one game last week because of problems with COVID-19.
Mitchell Robinson, after suffering a right heel injury on Friday against the Cavaliers, remained on the Knicks starting lineup, but was quickly struck again. In the middle of the first quarter, Robinson blocked a 3-point basket from Jeff Teague, but hit hard with nothing to avoid the fall. He returned in the second half, but he still seemed to be moving cautiously.
The Celtics had six points, 35-29, in the middle of the second quarter, but Quickley gave the bench another shake to supply the Knicks. The novice guard created an alley-oop for Toppin, then wounded the Celtics with three floaters in the next five possessions to gain a 44-29 lead, with Quickley accumulating 11 points in the second quarter alone.
The Knicks came to the break with a 48-35 lead, with 35 points marking the season’s low on points allowed in the first half.
Thibodeau’s team offered no disappointment for the start of the second half, going in a 10-0 race to start the third quarter and preventing any chance of a Celtics turnaround.
Kemba Walker, the Bronx native the Knicks lost in the summer of 2019, made his season debut after dealing with a knee injury. He looked quite rusty, however, contributing to the Celtics’ difficult afternoon.