The Boston Celtics dominated the New York Knicks in game three to cut the deficit to 2-1 in their NBA Eastern Conference play-off semi-final.
The Celtics blew 20-point third-quarter leads in the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Boston as the Knicks mounted stunning comebacks against the reigning NBA champions.
But the visitors made no mistake in New York, moving into a 71-46 lead at half-time and remaining ruthless to see out a vital victory.
The Celtics rediscovered their three-point shooting ability that deserted them in the first two games, hitting 50% of their shots from beyond the arc in Madison Square Garden.
Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 23 points, while star Jayson Tatum added 22. Jalen Brunson hit a game-high 27 points for the Knicks.
“I don’t think we came with the mindset of being satisfied, but I think it was just subconsciously satisfied being up 2-0,” Brunson said. “Just not the way we need to approach the game.”
Game four is in New York on Monday.
