Marcus Smart hit a go ahead three-pointer with 36 seconds left on Wednesday night, as the Boston Celtics defeated the New York Knicks 101-99 at TD Garden in Boston.
In a tightly contested game, neither team led by more than seven points. Late in the fourth, Jaylen Brown after a New York turnover scored on a fast break layup to make it 93-90 Boston with 1:02 to play. RJ Barrett evened the score after a timeout just eight seconds later with a three-pointer for the Knicks. Smart nailed the game winner off a pass from Jayson Tatum with the shot clock running down straight away from the top of the key. The C’s would ice the win hitting 5-6 from the foul line in the final 19 seconds, their third victory in their last four games.
Brown led all scorers with 32 points for Boston (26-26), adding 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Tatum also had a double double with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Smart got into double figures as well with 17 points and nine assists. Barrett had 29 points and Julius Randle 22 for New York (25-27). The Celtics will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Boston currently sits in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings, just 1.5 games behind fourth place Atlanta with 20 games to go in the NBA regular season.
