The Boston Celtics are fighting to stay alive against the New York Knicks in a crucial Game 6 showdown Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Down 3-2 in the series, the Knicks are hoping to close things out at home and avoid a nerve-wracking Game 7 in Boston.
New York enters as slight 2.5-point favorites despite Boston’s impressive bounce-back performance in Game 5.
The biggest storyline? The Celtics are playing without superstar Jayson Tatum, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Game 4.
Boston shocked everyone with a dominant 127-102 win in Game 5 on Wednesday, proving they’re not ready to go home yet.
“It’s easy to kind of write things off,” said Celtics star Jaylen Brown. “Obviously, unfortunate what happened to J.T., but we’ve still got basketball to be played. I believe in this group. Don’t count us out just yet.”
The Celtics have actually been surprisingly good without Tatum this season, going 10-2 in games he’s missed, including 2-0 in the playoffs.
Tatum underwent surgery Tuesday after tearing his Achilles. While doctors called the procedure successful, his recovery timeline remains unclear. There’s a real chance he could miss all of next season since the injury happened so late in the playoffs.
For the Knicks, Jalen Brunson scored 22 points in Game 5 before fouling out with over 7 minutes left. Josh Hart led New York with 24 points, hitting five three-pointers.
The Knicks struggled badly from the field, shooting just 35.8%.
OG Anunoby had a particularly rough night, making just 1 of 12 shots for 6 points. Mikal Bridges wasn’t much better, going 4-for-14 with 9 points.
Brunson dismissed any notion that the team took it easy after Tatum’s injury.
“No, not at all. Yes, they are missing a big piece, but they are a well-oiled machine that has been in situations where they’ve played without him, and they’ve played well,” Brunson said. “We need to understand that and trust the game plan and play to win. It’s as simple as that.”
Recent history favors Boston at the Garden. The Celtics are 5-1 in their last six road games against New York, while the Knicks have struggled at home lately, going 2-5 in their past seven.
ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives the Knicks a 57.9% chance of winning Game 6.
The Knicks might be without forward Precious Achiuwa, who is listed as questionable with an ankle injury.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
