Celtics

Jonah Ballow

How It Happened: With Carmelo Anthony resting on Wednesday night, Kristaps Porzingis quickly became the focal point of the Knicks offense in a preseason rematch against the Celtics.   Porzingis’ early dominance helped the road squad establish a nine-point halftime advantage.  In the third frame, Courtney Lee exploded for nine quick points and New York built a sizeable 23-point lead.  The Knicks never looked back en route to a 121-96 road win.

Knick of the Night: Porzingis found nearly every way to score on Boston’s home floor – working off pick-and-pops, slipping screens, rim running, and finishing in transition.  Tonight, Knicks fans caught a glimpse of the entire package, which should generate significant excitement with six days until the opener in Cleveland.  Porzingis scored 16 of his 20 in the first half.  The big man shot an efficient 7-of-13 from the floor and posted two swats in the victory.

News and Notes: Lance Thomas started in place of Anthony at the small forward spot.  Derrick Rose did not play tonight at TD Garden.  Chasson Randle remains sidelined due to a left orbital fracture that will keep him sidelined for approximately 3-4 weeks.  For the Celtics, Marcus Smart limped to the locker room late in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury.  Brad Stevens rested starters: Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Al Horford, and Isaiah Thomas.

Next Up: The Knicks will return to New York following the game and face a quick turnaround with a matchup against the Nets on Thursday night in Brooklyn.  At 3-2 in preseason play, New York will conclude its exhibition docket at the Barclays Center.

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NYK 121, BOS 96: Porzingis Scores 20, Knicks Shutdown Celtics

How It Happened: After a back-and-forth first half, the visiting Celtics opened the game up in the third quarter by expanding the lead to 17 points.  However, the Knicks second unit flourished in the fourth quarter and even cut the advantage to just one point when Sasha Vujacic nailed a 3-pointer with less than seven minutes to play.  R.J. Hunter hit clutch buckets as part of his 17-point outing to push Boston back to a double-digit advantage and eventual 119-107 road preseason victory.  Carmelo Anthony was productive early, finishing with 15 points in the defeat.  Kristaps Porzingis caught fire early in the contest by scoring all nine of his points in the first quarter.  The loss dropped New York to 2-2 in the preseason.

Knick of the Night: Mindaugas Kuzminskas enjoyed a break out night with 18 points and 10 boards in just 19 minutes of action.  The home crowd had the opportunity to watch Kuzminskas run the floor, finish around the tin, and hit from the perimeter.  The rookie hit 7-of-16 shots from the floor in his best outing of the preseason. 

News and Notes: Derrick Rose did not play tonight at MSG.  Due to a sore groin, Porzingis did not start the second half and rested for the remainder of the contest.  Willy Hernangomez started in place of Porzingis to begin the second half of action.

Next Up: The Knicks return to Madison Square Garden on Sunday morning for an open practice in front of the New York fans.  Make sure to tune to Facebook for the LIVE stream of the practice, scheduled from 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM.

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BOS 119, NYK 107: Knicks Fight Back Late But Fall at MSG

5.  Closing Time Once again, the Knicks found themselves in a close contest during crunch time on Friday night.  Jeff Green’s driving slam dunk trimmed New York’s lead to just six points with 1:18 left in the fourth quarter.  The Knicks effectively staved off Boston’s late surge, which was absent in the past couple of weeks during several narrow defeats.  Tim Hardaway Jr. noted some key points in the locker room about what the team learned and corrected in the win.  The second-year man said the squad avoided fouls, overloaded one side and shifted correctly to the weak side defensively on a string, and rebounded the ball in the late stages.

Head coach Derek Fisher did not seem optimistic Carmelo Anthony would suit up on Friday night when he spoke to reporters at the team’s morning shootaround.  He said Anthony, dealing with left knee soreness, was questionable to doubtful after missing Wednesday’s game in San Antonio.  About an hour and a half before tipoff, Fisher announced Anthony’s availability and placement back in the starting lineup.  Anthony registered 22 points and five boards in a team-high 39 minutes of court time.

The unfortunate part of Friday’s victory was the loss of Iman Shumpert.  At the 2:40 mark of the second quarter, Shumpert dropped to the ground in severe pain, which was later revealed to be a dislocated left shoulder.  The Boston trainers helped to pop his shoulder back in place inside the Knicks locker room.  Despite dealing with immense pain, Shumpert was in good spirits following the game and even joked that if he has to dislocate his shoulder every game in order for New York to get a win, he would do it.  Shumpert received an MRI on Saturday that confirmed the dislocation.  No surgery is necessary and he will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks.

2.  Stoudemire’s Impact Amar’e Stoudemire is providing this Knicks crew with an efficient offensive option on the blocks.  After years of minute restrictions and injury issues, Stoudemire is a force, especially when he drives baseline to the rack and often finishes over defenders.  Stoudemire posted 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor in 26 minutes of action on Friday night.  Fisher has been staggering Stoudemire’s minutes with Anthony to ensure New York has an offensive weapon on the court at all times. 

1.  Looking Ahead Shumpert is out for at least the next three weeks and J.R. Smith is questionable for Sunday’s game against Toronto.  Smith also underwent an MRI on his left foot that revealed a small partial tear of the plantar fascia.  Without two significant players, Fisher will most likely increase Hardaway Jr.’s minutes and utilize three guard lineups, featuring Shane Larkin, Jose Calderon, and Pablo Prigioni in different configurations to counter the loss of Smith and Shumpert.

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