What a game last night! Given the history of Boston and New York as sports cities, every time these cities clash across all sports its always a big deal. This game was no different and definitely lived up to the hype.

Despite Jaylen Brown being out for the C’s, they were in the game and showed why they are such a formidable opponent for anyone come playoff time. The Knicks were essentially fully healthy, except for Tyler Kolek, for the second game in a row. This was a great opportunity to continue to rev the engines as the regular season comes to a close.

From the opening tip, the Knicks looked prime for the moment. Mikal Bridges scored the first 7 points of the game, giving the Knicks a 7-0 advantage.

However, the a few turnovers here and there and the next thing you knew, the Celtics were back neck and neck for the rest of the quarter.

In his return to Madison Square Garden after the horrific Achilles tear last year, Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum gave them a little bit of everything with 6 points 6 rebounds and 2 assists in the first period. It was really guard Payton Pritchard’s 11 first-quarter points that had them up three going into the second quarter.

It was the second quarter where Mitchell Robinson showed his brilliance once again. The man is simply everywhere on the court. Whether he was blocking a shot, disrupting a set, or fighting on the glass, he is and will be an absolute difference maker for the Knicks squad.

The Knicks made multiple attempts to pull away, but the Celtics timely baskets kept the game close. One attempt came late in the half when they were up 52-47 with one minute and forty seconds left in the half, but Boston responded and the Knicks found themselves clinging to a one-point lead at halftime.

The second attempt came to start the third quarter when the Knicks came out of the break blazing. It was a 18-6 run in the first five minutes that saw them up 72-59 when Boston took a timeout. In the next five minutes, the C’s immediately erased the deficit and took the lead, 78-76, with two minutes to go in the third.

To start the fourth, the Celtics had all the momentum with the help of guard Baylor Scheierman, who made big shot after big shot and ended the game with 20 huge points. It was Jordan Clarkson for the Knicks, who gave them 6 straight points to keep them in the game when the Celtics were on a run that put them up 92-85.

Enter: Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

The last 7 minutes of this game are the two largest takeaways from this win. The two biggest X-factors for the Knicks offense down the stretch of these future playoff games will be: the Brunson-KAT two-man/pick&roll/pick&pop game AND Josh Hart’s three-point shooting.

It has taken two years and it is finally here! The Knicks having two players that can virtually score from anywhere on the court play off of each other the way Brunson and KAT have been for the last few games and especially last night; will change the production of this team.

While Josh is shooting over 40% from the three-point line this year, he is historically a wildly inconsistent three-point shooter. Last night, that was not the case. He was a perfect 5-for-5 in the second half including back to back dagger threes within 42 seconds left to seal the victory. If Josh can continue to stroke it from deep, this will allow the Knicks to really play a five out offense and there is no telling how far that could take them.

I wouldn’t get too high or too low on game 80 of the regular season as it has no bearing on the playoffs or a potential future matchup against a fully healthy Boston Celtics team.

However, they will take the win. A win that keeps them in the third seed and one being their 52nd of the year surpassing last year’s total.

Knicks Top Performers Recap:

Jalen Brunson: 25 points 10 assists 10 of 19 from the field

Josh Hart: 26 points 3 assists 5 three pointers 10 of 15 from the field

Karl-Anthony Towns: 16 points 12 rebounds 4 assists 2 steals

Mitchell Robinson: 7 rebounds 7 points 3 steals 1 block