An overtime thriller in Madison Square Garden ended on a Kevin Garnett game-winning, buzzer-beating jumper from the top of the key as the Boston Celtics beat the Knicks 107-105 in overtime Sunday in New York.
The packed Garden crowd, loaded with a celebrity roster including Will Ferrell, Brooke Shields, Mark Wahlberg, Rosie Perez and Spike Lee, was treated to the most thrilling Knicks game so far this short season.
“He’s that type of player,” said Celtics forward Paul Pierce about Garnett, who shot badly all game until it counted most. “You’re talking about a Hall of Fame player.”
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Boston had six players score double-digits. Their star today was Pierce, who delivered 33 points (9-of-17, 6-of-7 three-pointers), nine rebounds and six assists.
Also for Boston, center Kendrick Perkins shot 6-of-7 for 16 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. Point guard Rajon Rondo was one rebound short of a triple-double: 14 points (just 5-of-13), 9 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 steals.
Struggling today for the winners were Ray Allen (just 3-of-13 for 13 points) and Garnett (just 4-of-15 for 10 points).
Off the bench, Rasheed Wallace had more technical fouls (1) than points (0, on 0-of-6 shooting), though his defense was solid and he finished with four steals.
The Knicks were led in scoring for the third consecutive game by Al Harrington, who came off the bench to contribute 30 points and 9 rebounds. David Lee was terrific with 22 points and 15 rebounds, though he had five turnovers. Nate Robinson was huge as a bench scorer, scoring 19. And to the delight of Mike D’Antoni and Knicks observers, all his shots were at the right basket today.
The starting Knicks backcourt couldn’t throw a rock into the ocean today. Chris Duhon and Larry Hughes combined to shoot 3-of-17 for 7 points, with 10 assists.
Madison Square Garden recorded its fifth sellout in eight home games. They entered the game ranked fifth in the league in home attendance with an average of 19,626 fans per game.