Celtics use red-hot third quarter to run away from Knicks

With the battle between Eastern Conference contenders tied at 64-64 in the third quarter, the Celtics made nine of their next 10 three-point attempts as part of a scorching 33-13 run that put the game out of reach. New York never got closer than nine points after that, ultimately losing 116-102.

Boston showed that when their deep balls are dropping, they’re nearly impossible to stop — especially when it’s not just one Celtic doing the damage.

Six different Celtics hit triples during that run, with Kristaps Porzingis nailing all three of his attempts. It’s hard to deny three-point attempts when every player on the floor is making them, from Derrick White to Jaylen Brown to Sam Hauser.

For the third quarter as a whole, Boston went 9 for 11 from deep, keying a performance the New York crowd will never forget. Even that understates the red-hot nature of their shooting, as one of the misses was a desperation 31-foot attempt to beat the buzzer.

The Knicks are shorthanded with injury, but it was a disheartening home defeat for a team that in theory could give Boston trouble with their rebounding dominance. 

Of course, rebounding doesn’t matter when your opponent doesn’t miss.