angel. Two dramatic missed free throws by Jaylen Brown condemned the Boston Celtics to a 120-117 loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday in an NBA match in which the Brooklyn Nets faltered against the Detroit Pistons despite 40 points by Kyrie Irving.
Power forward Julius Randle, with 37 points and 9 rebounds, and point guard Jalen Brunson, with 29 points and 7 assists, were again the Knicks’ leaders in a thrilling victory in overtime at the TD Garden in Boston.
Local star Jayson Tatum scored 35 points and was key to the Celtics forcing overtime in a game the Knicks dominated by 12 points (106–94) with less than four minutes remaining.
At that point, Tatum went on to score 11 points in the Combustion that still put the Eastern Conference leaders ahead.
The young forward, selected as the starter for his fourth All-Star this Thursday, enjoyed the final possession with a tie at 110 but almost missed a midrange shot at the buzzer that sent the game into overtime.
The Celtics, who had forced overtime with a 21–8 run, extended their streak to five points in the first, but the Knicks held on under impressive Randle and guard RJ Barrett, who finished with 19 points.
Trailing by only one point (118–117), Jaylen Brown had two free throws to put Boston up with just seven seconds remaining.
The All-Star guard, however, missed both shots and Barrett increased the Knicks’ lead from the free throw line.
First Tatum and then Brogdon, blocked by Brunson, missed the last desperate shots for the Celtics, who accepted their third straight loss after their impressive nine-game winning streak.
Boston leads the East by 2.5 wins over Philadelphia’s ’76, while the Knicks sit in seventh place and move into the playoff spots.
The surprise of the day came in Brooklyn with a 130–122 loss to the Nets against the Detroit Pistons, who were classified last in the East.
The Nets, who are still waiting for the return of their stats, Kevin Durant, failed to capitalize on a stellar night from Kyrie Irving, who finished with 40 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Gave a recall.
Irving had a streak of five games in a row scoring over thirty points, the longest streak of his career.
The 30-year-old point guard experienced a convulsive start to the season, in which he was suspended by his own team for promoting anti-Semitic material, but his impressive performances since then have earned him the title of Durant’s favorite this Thursday. Selected as a starter. At the February 12 All-Star.
Australian Ben Simmons, on the other hand, was shipwrecked again against the Pistons, a day after a grueling loss against his former Philadelphia teammates, when he was left without scoring in 20 minutes he left in the third quarter. Was on the track before retiring. Pain in left knee.
Led by rookie point guard Jaden Ivey, who scored Detroit’s first 12 points, the Pistons signed off on one of their best performances of the season with forward Sadiq Bay as the top scorer with 25 points.
In their turn, the Charlotte Hornets, formerly last in the East, followed in the Pistons’ wake and beat the Chicago Bulls, also eleventh, 111–96 with 28 points from guard Terry Rozier.
In more results, the Los Angeles Clippers beat the San Antonio Spurs 138–106, the Charlotte Hornets beat the Chicago Bulls 111–96 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Houston Rockets 113–95 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Suns 99–96. 95 beat. Phoenix.
