Thursday night was Jayson Tatum‘s first time playing at Madison Square Garden since he ruptured his Achilles there last spring. And for the Boston Celtics, it provided a chance to clinch the two seed in the East.
However, some late-game heriocs from Josh Hart and the impressive offensive engine that is Jalen Brunson were too much for the Jaylen Brown-less Celtics.
New York walked away with a 112-106 victory.
No Brown, no problem. Payton Pritchard was there to save the day on Thursday night.
Boston’s offense was slow out of the gates, and the Knicks were able to get out in transition because of it. But as soon as Pritchard checked into the game, everything changed.
Tatum still handled a bulk of Boston’s ball-handling duties, but he didn’t have to do it alone. Nobody the Knicks put on Pritchard could stick with him.
They tried Landry Shamet, Miles McBride (who had the most success), and even Hart. Pritchard found a way to score on them all. And if he was able to get a switch onto a big man? It was over.
When Tatum and Brown are on the court, Pritchard has even more room to work. He didn’t even need that against New York. He just went to work on his own.
So, if Thursday night was any indication, he is more than ready for the playoffs to start.
Down: Nikola Vucevic (again)
These last few games are slowly starting to look more like the Celtics’ attempt to get Nikola Vucevic into a rhythm than a look ahead at their potential playoff rotation. At this rate, Luka Garza should be the clear-cut favorite to earn the backup center minutes for Boston.
Vucevic’s first stint was spoiled by Mitchell Robinson. Robinson’s massive stature made Vucevic look tiny under the rim, and the new Celtics big man was consistently out of position, unable to keep Robinson away from the bucket.
Poster dunks and offensive rebounds highlighted Robinson’s stint, all at the expense of Vucevic.
Then, to open the third quarter, Vucevic got shredded by the Jalen Brunson-Karl-Anthony Towns pick-and-roll. His drop defense just wasn’t giving Boston what it needed.
As for Vucevic’s offense, it was just as rough as his defense in the first half. Shots weren’t falling, he looked lost at times, and the overall timing of his screens and passes just seemed off. He’s still working on building chemistry with his new teammates, but time is running out for that.
In the third quarter, Vucevic’s shots started to fall in the pick-and-pop, and he nailed a floater in the lane, too. The vision was there.
But still, unless Vucevic’s offensive flow returns to form completely, Garza should get the postseason minutes.
New Tatum nickname? Or just the food hall in North Station? You be the judge.
Since returning over a month ago, Tatum has been the hub of Boston’s offense, just as he’s always been. But lately, he’s taken things to another level.
Wherever Tatum went, the Knicks flocked. Two, three, and sometimes even four New York defenders collapsed on him when he hit the paint. And the result was open shots for his teammates.
Drive after drive, pass after pass, Tatum picked apart New York’s defense.
There were some bad shots. Some pull-up threes that seemed like settling. But for most of this game, Tatum was meticulously straightforward in his approach.
Put the ball on the floor, see the defense, make a play.
