NEW YORK – The New York Knicks were not afraid of the Boston Celtics on Monday night.
As long as they play as a team, the Knicks believed that they could beat anyone – that was the message from coach Tom Thibodeau following their National Basketball Association (NBA) victory in New York.
Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley combined for 46 points as the in-form Knicks upset the Celtics 109-94 and improved to 36-27 in the Eastern Conference.
“I thought it was a good, solid team win,” said Thibodeau.
“Their record tells you how good they are. They can make up ground very quickly because of the way they shoot the three. No lead feels safe with them, but we had good all-around play.”
Randle and Quickley finished with 23 points each as the impressive Knicks extended their winning streak to five games at Madison Square Garden.
The New York victory bumped the Celtics (44-18) out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings, lifting the Milwaukee Bucks (43-17) into first place.
Six Knicks players finished the game in double figures after New York took control of the contest early on to lead almost from start to finish. The Knicks moved up to fifth place after the win.
A miserable night for Boston ended with star player Jayson Tatum being ejected – for the first time in his career – with four minutes remaining for a second technical foul.
Tatum – the hero of Boston’s pulsating victory over Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday – endured a frustrating outing, making just six-of-18 from the field.
Malcolm Brogdon led the Boston scorers with 22 points.
Elsewhere on Monday, Jimmy Butler scored 23 points as the Miami Heat sent the Philadelphia spinning to a second straight defeat with a 101-99 victory on the road.
A superb defensive effort from Miami saw the potent Sixers’ offence – which has been averaging 114 points this season – restricted to fewer than 100 points.
Forward Butler also finished with 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals at the Wells Fargo Centre.
Joel Embiid led the Philadelphia scorers with 27 points, while Tyrese Maxey scored 23 and James Harden 20.
Miami improved to 33-29 with the victory, while the third-placed Sixers slipped to 39-21.
Separately, LeBron James could face multiple weeks on the sidelines after suffering a foot injury last Sunday, US media reported on Monday.
The Los Angeles Lakers confirmed that the NBA’s all-time leading scorer would play no part in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday due to “right foot soreness”.
However, multiple US media said that James is still undergoing further tests and could be out for multiple weeks. AFP, REUTERS
