NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 26 points and 13 rebounds, and the New York Knicks rode a huge second quarter to a 105-95 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday night, improving to a 2-0 start to the season.
The Knicks outscored the Celtics 42-14 in the second quarter en route to a 64-44 halftime lead. It appeared New York would blow out Boston at Madison Square Garden for the second straight time, following their dominant 119-81 victory in Game 6 to eliminate the Celtics last season in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
However, the Knicks played a sloppy third quarter, allowing the Celtics to cut the deficit to single digits in the fourth. Brunson responded with a couple of crucial baskets to help New York build back a comfortable cushion.
Jaylen Brown scored 23 points on his 29th birthday for the Celtics, who fell to 0-2 on the season. Boston also gave up 42 points in the fourth quarter of their narrow 117-116 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday.
San Hauser contributed 18 points for Boston, hitting six 3-pointers. For the Knicks, Josh Hart made his season debut, grabbing 14 rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench after recovering from a lower back injury sustained in the preseason opener.
On a concerning note for the Celtics, OG Anunoby limped off midway through the fourth quarter after appearing to injure his knee or upper thigh while landing from a blocked shot attempt.
The game started with Boston leading 30-22 after the first quarter, but the Knicks opened the second with an 11-0 run to take the lead. Hauser and Derrick White then made consecutive three-pointers to put the Celtics back ahead 36-33, but New York responded with 17 unanswered points to lead 50-36. The Knicks finished the half strong, scoring the final 12 points to go into halftime up 64-44.
Up next: The Celtics will visit Detroit on Sunday, while the Knicks travel to Miami on Sunday night.
https://whdh.com/sports/brunson-scores-31-points-knicks-ride-huge-2nd-quarter-to-105-95-victory-over-the-celtics/