The Knicks’ five-game losing streak is over. All it took was a clash with the best team in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics lacked Jayson Tatum and looked out of place, and the Knicks took advantage and provided energy to flee with a 105-75 victory Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.
The Knicks (6-8) never left behind, scoring up to 37 points to get out of their funk and deliver a gift to coach Tom Thibodeau on his 63rd birthday. The defense led the game, keeping the Celtics (8-4) in the low season on points.
Despite their recent struggles, the Knicks now have explicit victories 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) fed the Knicks while Obi Toppin scored 12 points maximum on the run in the winning effort.
Amid questions about shaking up the lineup, Thibodeau stayed with the same five starter and came out strong from the tip to establish an early lead. Randle and Barrett combined for 19 points and 10 rebounds in the first quarter, while the Knicks opted for a 28-17 lead after the first 12 minutes.
Jaylen Brown kept the Celtics in the game early, scoring 11 points in the first quarter, but otherwise looked sloppy after playing just one game last week due to problems with COVID-19.
Mitchell Robinson, after keeping his right heel bruised Friday against the Cavaliers, remained in the Knicks’ starting lineup, but was quickly hit again. In the middle of the first quarter, Robinson blocked a Jeff Teague triple, but landed with nothing to stop his fall. He returned in the second quarter, but seemed to keep moving cautiously.
The Celtics got all six points, 35-29, in the middle of the second quarter, but Quickley gave the bench another shake to feed a Knicks boost. The rookie goalkeeper set up an alley for Toppin, and then hurt the Celtics with three floats in the next five possessions to take a 44-29 lead, as Quickley added 11 points in the second quarter alone.
The Knicks won a 48-35 lead at halftime, with 35 points scoring the low season in points allowed in the half.
Thibodeau’s crew offered no disappointment to start the second half, making a 10-0 run to start the third quarter and closing out any chance of a Celtics comeback.
Kemba Walker, a Bronx native who the Knicks missed in the summer of 2019, made his season debut after suffering a knee injury. He looked very rusty, although he contributed to the Celtics ’raw afternoon.