Jayson Tatum leads Boston Celtics rally past New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks pip Chicago Bulls in NBA
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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum dunking the ball against the New York Knicks at TD Garden on Nov 13. He scored 35 points as Boston won 114-98.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
NEW YORK – Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis led a second-half fightback as the Boston Celtics overpowered the New York Knicks 114-98 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Monday.
Tatum finished with 35 points – including 17 in the fourth quarter – while Porzingis added 21 to fire the Celtics to their eighth win of the season.
“First half, they were scoring at will, but second half we started making stops,” Tatum said after the Celtics bagged their third straight victory.
“I’ve played enough games, had enough tough shooting nights,” added the All-Star, who shot 13 from 23 from the field and five from 12 from three-point range.
“All really, really good scorers know it just takes one to change your momentum, change how you feel about yourself shooting the ball.
“And once you see one go in, you just feel a lot better about yourself.”
New York caused Boston problems in the first half, edging into an eight-point lead in the second quarter with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle both influential at Boston’s TD Garden.
But Jaylen Brown drained a superb three from 25 feet on the stroke of half-time to cut the Knicks’ lead to just one point at 53-52 heading into the break.
That parting shot from Brown was to herald a third-quarter rally from Boston that ultimately took the game away from the Knicks, who had been chasing a fourth straight victory.
Porzingis led the third-quarter onslaught with 11 points from three-of-three shooting, including two from outside the arc, along with three of three from the free-throw line.
Tatum then turned it on in the fourth quarter with his 17-point display as the Celtics outscored the Knicks 30-22 in the final frame to complete the victory.
Tatum finished with five three-pointers, six rebounds and seven assists. Porzingis’ 21-point haul included three from three-point range, while Brown had 22 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Brunson led the Knicks scorers with 26 points while Randle finished with 25. Josh Hart added 16 points with Quentin Grimes chipping in 12 points.
“I like that we’re finding different ways to win,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.
“We have to understand that it’s not always going to be easy, but it’s how we respond that’s important.”
The Celtics improved to 8-2 to remain second in the Eastern Conference behind the Philadelphia 76ers (8-1).
In Toronto, the Raptors pulled off a remarkable comeback to snatch victory over the Washington Wizards, overturning a 23-point second-half deficit to win 111-107.
In Milwaukee, 35 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Bucks bounce back from consecutive road defeats to clinch a 118-109 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets and Michael Malone agreed to an extension that makes him one of the NBA’s highest-paid coaches, ESPN reported on Monday.
Malone, 52, guided the Nuggets to the franchise’s first championship last season and has Denver off to an 8-2 start this season, tied with the Dallas Mavericks for the best mark in the Western Conference.
Terms of the agreement were not reported. AFP, REUTERS
