Three Studs, Three Duds As Celtics Suffer Series Ending Blowout Loss To Knicks

The New York Knicks had the chance to put the Boston Celtics away and move on to the Eastern Conference finals after taking a dominating 3-1 series lead in Game 4.

But they couldn’t finish it. It was the Celtics who found a way to win Game 5 despite being without star Jayson Tatum, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Boston’s Game 4 loss.

Game 6 was a whole different story. It was the Knicks who dominated the defending NBA champions, ending the Celtics’ bid for back-to-back titles Friday night at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks advanced to the third round for the first time in 25 years. They will face the Indiana Pacers for the right to play in the NBA Finals.

Here are three studs and three duds from Boston’s 119-81 Game 6 loss to New York:

STUDS
Jaylen Brown
Brown was the only Boston player who looked to have a heartbeat from jump. Even though the Celtics star fouled out of the game with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter, he led Boston in scoring with 20 points on 8-for-20 shooting from the floor. Brown collected a team-high six rebounds and dished out a team-high six assists across 32 minutes.

Karl Anthony-Towns
Towns bounced back from a poor Game 5 performance. The five-time All-Star put up a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby
The Knicks duo led all scorers with 23 points apiece. Brunson was 8-for-14 from the field, while Anunoby connected on seven of his 18 attempts in the game. Both were perfect from the free-throw line, with Brunson hitting all four of his attempts and Anunoby going 5-for-5.

DUDS
Kristaps Porzingis
Whatever was ailing Porzingis in this series continued to plague the Celtics’ big man in Game 6. Coming off the bench, Porzingis played just 11 minutes and scored just four points on 1-for-4 shooting with just five rebounds.

Derrick White
White was a pale version of the typical dominant player he usually is in big games. The Celtics guard was 3-for-11 from the field, including 2-for-8 from downtown, scoring just eight points, with two assists and one rebound.

Emmanuel Acho
The former NFL linebacker turned media personality claimed the Celtics matched up better against the Knicks without Tatum in the lineup.

Yes, the Celtics dominated the Knicks in Game 5 after Tatum underwent surgery to repair his torn Achilles, but Boston did not have any answers for New York in Game 6.