The Knicks’ five-game losing streak is over. All that was needed was a showdown with the top team in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics missed Jayson Tatum and looked out, and the Knicks took advantage and brought the energy to run away with a 105-75 victory Sunday afternoon in TD Garden.
The Knicks (6-8) never lagged behind, leading by as many as 37 points to take out their funk and give coach Tom Thibodeau, the gift, on his 63rd birthday. The defense led the way by keeping the Celtics (8-4) to a season low.
Despite their recent struggles, the Knicks now have the win over the Celtics and 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) fueled the Knicks while Obi Toppin had a career-high 12 points in the winning effort.
Amid questions about the upsurge of the series, Thibodeau stuck with the same starting lineup, and they came strong from the point to gain an early lead. Randle and Barrett combined for 19 points and 10 rebounds in the first quarter as the Knicks took a 28-17 lead after the first twelve minutes.
Jaylen Brown kept the Celtics early in the game and scored 11 points in the first quarter, but they otherwise looked sloppy early after playing just one game last week due to COVID-19 issues.
Mitchell Robinson, after maintaining a confused right heel on Friday against the Cavaliers, remained in the Knicks’ starting lineup but was quickly picked up again. Halfway through the first quarter, Robinson blocked a 3-point lead by Jeff Teague, but he landed hard without dropping anything. He returned in the second quarter, but he still seems to be moving comfortably.
The Celtics came halfway into the second quarter within six points, 35-29, but Quickley delivered another push off the bench to fuel a Knicks surge. The rookie point guard set up an alley for Toppin and injured the Celtics with three drivers on the next five possessions to take a 44-29 lead as Quickley scored just 11 points in the second quarter.
The Knicks led 48-35 at halftime, with the 35 points allowing a season low at halftime.
Thibodeau’s crew offered no disappointment to start the second half, with a 10-0 run to start the third quarter and close out the chance of a Celtics comeback.
Kemba Walker, the Bronx native who missed the Knicks in the summer of 2019, made his season debut after suffering a knee injury. However, he looked very rusty, and contributed to the rough afternoon of the Celtics.