New York Knicks: Who stepped up against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 21?

Michael Beasley

When the New York Knicks hosted the Boston Celtics on Friday, Dec. 22, many hoped to hear MVP chants fora productive power forward. What was far from expected, however, was for those chants to rain down on Michael Beasley.

On a night when nothing was working for Kristaps Porzingis, it was Beasley who took over and legitimately dominated the team with the No. 2 defensive rating in the NBA.

Beasley set season highs with 32 points and 12 rebounds in just 25 minutes of court time. He added an assist and shot 13-of-20 from the field, 1-of-1 from beyond the three-point line, and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.

Beasley accumulated a +/- of +18, which was both a game-high and a fair reflection of just how individually dominant he was in the second half.

Beasley scored 28 of his 32 points between the third and fourth quarters alone. Mere days after going off for 30 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder—No. 1 in the NBA in defensive rating—he put up 32 against the Celtics—No. 2 in the NBA in defensive rating.

Behind the strength of Beasley’s second dominant showing against a legitimately elite defense in just three games, the Knicks improved to 17-14.