In an April 2025 NBA regular season highlight game, last season’s champion Celtics ushered in a matchup with their old rivals, the Knicks. Despite playing on the road and trailing by 11 points at one point in the game, the Celtics showed great team resilience and execution at key moments, taking a thrilling 119-117 victory after a tie in regulation time and an overtime battle. The victory not only helped them sweep the Knicks for a third straight win, but also extended their road winning streak to seven games, further cementing their second place in the Eastern Conference.
A look at the game’s key stats
Celtics bright performers:
- Jason Tatum: Hit four three-pointers and chipped in 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The tying three at the top of the key was the biggest highlight of the game.
- Kristaps Porzingis: hit all 8 of his 3-pointers and scored a career-high 34 points, contributing to the overtime victory.
- Ju Holliday: played consistently and contributed 16 points.
- Derrick White: all-around output with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, nearly a triple-double.
For the Knicks:
- Karl Anthony Towns: 34 points and 14 rebounds in a ‘dominant’ performance.
- Jalen Brunson: 27 points and 9 assists on 4 3-pointers, the heart of the Knicks’ offence.
- Josh Hart: 10 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, all-round but unfortunately missed the key kill.
Game Recap: ups and downs until the last second.
First quarter: Celtics get on the board first, Knicks fight back quickly
The Celtics took a small 5-2 lead to start the game, but the Knicks quickly returned the favour with a 10-0 run to overtake the score. The Celtics got as close as just two points before the Knicks pulled away again by nine. Tatum, Brunson and Towns three fire, the first quarter each scored double-digit points, leading the two sides back and forth. The first quarter ended with the Celtics trailing 27-30.
Second quarter: Knicks steady advantage, the Celtics tenacious points
second quarter, the Knicks scored 6 points, widening to 9 points advantage. Celtics, with Porzingis and Tatum’s scoring gradually catch up, had once been pulled to 11 points gap, but soon returned to a wave of 11-2 counterattack wave. At the end of the first half, the Knicks to 58-52 to maintain a six-point advantage. At this point the Celtics Tatum got 15 points, 5 rebounds, Porzingis also had 14 points; the Knicks were led by Towns and Brunson with 22 and 12 points respectively.
Third quarter: Celtics make strong comeback, complete comeback
After halftime adjustments, the Celtics clearly stepped up their offence. In the third quarter, they scored more than 30 points in a single quarter for the first time. Porzingis outside hot, continuous three hits, once led the team back over 3 points. Although the Knicks also have to fight back, but the Celtics again played 7-0 climax to regain the lead. The single-quarter score was 31-20, and the Celtics rallied to end the third quarter with a five-point lead of 83-78.
Fourth quarter: Last-minute battle, Tatum three-point renewal
In the fourth quarter, the Celtics maintained a small lead, and White’s three-point helped them extend their advantage to 91-85. Despite this, the Knicks rallied late in the game, with scores from Towns and Hart putting them back in front at one point. In the final moments of the game, Tatum hit two of his three free throws after drawing a foul, and then hit a difficult three-pointer with 2.9 seconds left to tie the game at 107-107. Hart’s final shot was off the mark and the game went into overtime.
OT: Porzingis kills game with key three
In overtime, both teams played cautiously to start the game and were not as efficient offensively. Hauser hit a basket for the Celtics to score first, Tatum two free throws to continue to expand the advantage. Towns then came into play, scoring three points on free throws and fast breaks, but a key three by Porzingis (his eighth, a new personal record) put the Celtics back in the driver’s seat. Brunson missed a shot, Bridges had a turnover and Holliday made both free throws. The Knicks’ lineup was further limited after Hart left the game with a full complement of fouls. In the end, the Celtics won a hard-fought victory by two points.
Comparison of both starting lineups
Celtics:
- Jayson Tatum
- Jaylen Brown
- Kristaps Porzingis
- Jrue Holliday
- Derrick White
Knicks:
- OG Anunoby
- Josh Hart
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- Mikal Bridges
- Jalen Brunson
Highlights of the game and the significance behind the game
- Porzingis explodes Porzingis is the key to victory Porzingis can be said to be ‘God blocking to kill God’, not only the highest scoring, but also hit a key three-point in overtime, the Celtics win the game’s biggest contributor.
- **Tatum key moment to show the value of superstar **
2.9 seconds to hit the equalising three-pointer, known as the cold-blooded killer. His composure under pressure bought his team an overtime opportunity. - The Knicks are still honoured despite their defeat
Towns and Brunson were excellent, but they were slightly lacking in detailing and grasping the key ball in the final moments. In particular, Bridges’ turnover and Hart’s missed kill were the turning points in the loss. - Eastern pattern clearer
The win not only gave the Celtics a three-game winning streak and a seven-game road winning streak, but also virtually locked up the second spot in the East. Laying a solid foundation for playoff contention.
Summary: Championship heritage and key moments to deal with the magic weapon to win
This game is not only a technical and tactical competition, but also a confrontation of will and psychological quality. Celtics showed the determination and resilience that a mature team should have. Although the process of a series of twists and turns, but they have never given up, especially in the fourth quarter and the key moment of overtime, every player is defending the honour with practical action.
For the Knicks, although they lost the game, they also proved once again that they have the strength to compete with strong teams. If they can reduce turnovers and improve their hitting percentage at critical moments, they will still be very competitive in the future.
Next, the Celtics will continue to prepare for the playoffs, while the Knicks need to learn from their experience and continue to try to grab a higher ranking.
