Friday, December 13, 2013

Celtics defeat Knicks 90-86

The New York Knicks looked to build off their last win tonight as they faced the Boston Celtics. But in the end the Knicks would fall yet again losing 90-86.

The Knicks trailed by 17 points and led by 11 points in this game. The Celtics really were able to get this win due to a great fourth quarter. That was the real difference in this one. The Knicks seemed tired and sluggish in the fourth quarter which led to terrible offense that had turnover problems. They struggled to get into any rhythm causing the Celtics to gain momentum they would need to win.

The Celtics had a fantastic performance out of Courtney Lee. His performance off the bench was solid in that it gave the Celtics another scorer. Lee would score 18 huge points off the bench and proved the difference in this game. He has always been an up and down player, but tonight he played a solid 19 minutes.

Jared Sullinger also was a strong presence for the Celtics as he scored 19 points. Sullinger abused the Knicks inside, dominating with quick post moves. He continues to grow as a basketball player and tonight really did damage to the Knicks in this one.

The Knicks had solid play from just three players. Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Andrea Bargnani. Those three combined for 66 points and really were the only Knicks to have any offense tonight. Anthony in particular really did his job as the leader because he put the team in position to win. This was a poor team game tonight because the other players didn’t step up.

This was a very tough loss for the Knicks. The Celtics on the other hand have played outstanding to start their season. They have young talent and have put forth the effort to win night in and out. They have to continue to play this way if they want to have success this season.

The guard position in particular JR Smith and Iman Shumpert combined for just five points. Those two really have struggled this season and that really has been tough for the Knicks. Smith shot only once in this game and really wasn’t aggressive. Shumpert looked active, but just couldn’t find any rhythm to build momentum for himself.

The Knicks now will focus their attention on the Atlanta Hawks, who they play tomorrow night. The Celtics will play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night looking to continue on this nice win.

Photo Credit: Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

No comments:

Post a Comment