The Boston Celtics used a strong shooting performance and inside presence to defeat the New York Knicks, in front of a capacity crowd on the road at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
Celtics vs. Knicks final score: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett lead C’s to 102-96 win
New York, Boston, Madison Square Garden -- it doesn’t get any better. The NBA’s most storied rivalry didn’t disappoint on Monday night as the C’s went into New York City and came away with a hard-fought victory on the road.
Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE
Paul Pierce led the way for the Celtics with 23 points and six assists while Kevin Garnett added 19 points and 10 rebounds in a vintage performance from both veterans. Without Rajon Rondo in the lineup, Boston featured a balanced attack, with five players scoring in double figures.
The Celtics bottled up Carmelo Anthony and held him to just 20 points on 6-of-26 shooting from the field, well below his season average of 29.3 points per game. They were particularly effective against him in the first quarter when the star swingman was 0-for-2 and picked up two quick fouls.
Boston was dominant inside, outscoring the Knicks 40-28 in the paint. Though the Celtics dominated the third quarter and held New York to just 16 points, the game was close throughout the evening. There were 10 lead changes the game was tied 13 times. With the victory, Boston improved to 17-17 while New York fell to 23-11.
See More:
