Paul Pierce nets 30 as Boston Celtics edge past New York Knicks 91-89 - NBA Recap
New York Knicks' dismal run in the 2011-12 NBA season continued on Friday night as they faced yet another disappointing loss, this time at the hands of Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
Knicks dominated the entire first half and then changed gears further in the third frame to acquire a lead of 12 points 67-55, in the first 5 minutes of the quarter. In the remaining 7 minutes though, the Knicks lost their tempo
and only managed to score 5 more points, allowing Celtics to finish the frame with a game changing 14-5 spurt. That spurt got the Celtics back in the game and they went in the fourth quarter, behind by only 3 points, 69-72.
Celtics continued the good work in the deciding frame and successfully eliminated the deficit in the first five minutes of the frame, at 77 all. The next few minutes saw intense battle as both teams fought hard to gain domination,
however Knicks throughout that passage, managed to stay just marginally ahead.
With less than 1:30 minutes remaining, Landry Fields drove for a layup to make it 89-90.
The game was heading to a dramatic finish and both sides required a moment of brilliance in the dying moments to seal the victory. In the end, it came in the form of Paul Pierce’s free throw that guided Celtics to a close, two
point margin win.
Pierce was the player of the night and led the Celtics with a game high 30 points on 10 for 12 from the charity stripe, 7 boards and 5 assists.
"It's good when you find way to win," Pierce said. "Things really weren't going our way."
Kevin Garnett amassed 15 points on 7 for 13 from the floor along with 8 boards while Ray Allen gathered 14 points on 3 for 5 from downtown and 5 boards.
Celtics shot only 40.8% from the floor but covered for their ordinary inside the arc shooting through an impressive long range effort (10-for-20).
Carmelo Anthony marshalled the Knicks with 26 points on 9 for 10 from the free throw line and 6 dimes. Tyson Chandler (20) and Amar’e Stoudemire (16) both had a double-double with 11 boards each while Landry Fields registered 11
points.
"It's definitely not a great feeling right now," A bitter Stoudemire said after the game. "Winning is always what we play the game for. It brings joy when you win. Right now we're not winning, so it's a little bit difficult to
deal with."
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