The Boston Celtics opened up their elimination Game 4 with emotion and lead the New York Knicks, 54-35, at the half. An aggressive Paul Pierce leads the Celtics with 17 points, but Boston has earned the lead with solid defense.
Knicks vs. Celtics score update: Boston dominates first half to lead, 54-35
The Boston Celtics have dominated the New York Knicks, who are missing J.R. Smith’s scoring in the first half.
Carmelo Anthony has 16 points at halftime, but he's shot just 3-for-15 from the floor and has five turnovers.
Will the Celtics break 80?
So far, so good. Boston is on pace for eclipsing the 100-point mark after coming into the elimination game averaging just 75 points per outing.
How will the Knicks play without J.R. Smith?
As expected, New York’s offense has suffered, since Anthony is the only scorer on the floor. The Celtics have locked down the rest of the Knicks’ roster, and Anthony is struggling to find himself decent looks.
The Knicks scored 17 points in the first quarter and needed three minutes to score their first points as the Celtics opened up a double-digit lead. They also had 12 turnovers at halftime and are shooting 28.9 percent from the floor.
Is this it for the Boston Big Two?
Kevin Garnett and Pierce look like they're not ready to roll over. Garnett had eight rebounds and three assists in the first half but found himself in foul trouble. Meanwhile, Pierce led the team in scoring while Jeff Green showed some aggression and put in 15 points to help his veteran teammates.
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