Kevin Garnett Triggers Furious Fourth Quarter Rally, Celtics Snag 96-86 Victory Over Knicks

Pierce scored 13 of his 21 points in the final quarter, hitting a key three-pointer with just under seven minutes left in the game. The Knicks, up just four points at that point, quickly called a timeout, but it didn’t help too much. They scored just four points in the remaining minutes of the game and surrendered 18 points to the Celtics.

Carmelo Anthony had 17 points in the first half, but then only five points in second half. Late in the fourth quarter, Anthony collided mid-air with Rajon Rondo and received an elbow to the face, putting more blood on the court and a delay in the action. Chauncey Billups added 21 points, and Amare Stoudemire added a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds).

The Boston Celtics started to chip away at the New York Knicks’ 14-point lead in the third quarter, narrowing it down to just six points, 69-63. Kevin Garnett took over the Celtics’ offense, scoring 10 of his 18 points then. Rajon Rondo added two more points for nine on the night and distributed the ball for six assists.

The Knicks had four scorers in double digits at the end of the quarter, with Ronny Turiaf (11) joining Carmelo Anthony (18), Amare Stoudemire (16) and Chauncey Billups (10). Stoudemire also recorded a double-double when he pulled down his 10th rebound of the night. Toney Douglas has contributed off the bench with three points and four assists so far.

Building on their three-point lead from the first quarter, the New York Knicks entered halftime with a 14-point lead over the Boston Celtics, 51-37. For roughly the first four-and-one-half minutes of the second quarter, the Knicks held the Celtics scoreless and added seven points to their lead.

After leaving in the first quarter following two fouls, Carmelo Anthony returned in the second quarter and scored 12 points for 17 total at the half. He accomplished that on 7-of-12 shooting, helping the Knicks to a 48.7 shooting percentage at halftime. Amare Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups added 11 points and 10 points, respectively, the former pulling down six rebounds as well. Ronny Turiaf has played well on defense, blocking three shots.

After only scoring nine points in the first quarter of yesterday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks lead the Boston Celtics, 25-22, at the end of the first quarter. Amare Stoudemire led New York with nine points and four rebounds, scoring the last three points to give them the lead. Carmelo Anthony started off with seven points in five minutes, but then exited the game when he got into early foul trouble.

For the Celtics, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce controlled the scoring, each adding six points. Rajon Rondo dished the ball out for three assists and also added four points. Ray Allen scored just two points, making only 1-of-6 shots from the field.

The same could be said of Amar’e Stoudemire, Anthony’s running mate. Stoudemire isn’t quite the beast he was four years ago, or six years ago. (Five years ago, he was planning an ill-fitted midseason comeback from microfracture surgery. Suffice it to say he’s doing better now.) Stoudemire’s a great scorer and finisher. Defender? No.

The Celtics and Knicks tip off at Madison Square Garden at 7:30 PM Eastern (NBA TV). For Knicks analysis, check out Posting And Toasting and SB Nation New York. For Celtics’ talk, head over to CelticsBlog and SB Nation Boston.