New York Knicks lose thriller to Celtics on Jayson Tatum buzzer-beater

Falling to 1-5, the New York Knicks lost on a buzzer-beater from the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum.

The New York Knicks suffered a crushing 104-102 loss to the Celtics on Jayson Tatum’s 20-foot three-pointer with 4.7 left on the clock. Even with Marcus Morris‘ 29 points, including a three-pointer that tied the game before Tatum’s magnificent shot to end the game the Knicks, again, couldn’t close.

Coach David Fizdale started Frank Ntilikina at the point and RJ Barrett at the two, his reasons being to put a strong defensive presence on the floor from the start of the game. The defense worked as the Knicks held the Celtics to just 22 points in the first quarter and kept them relatively quiet for most of the game.

The Celtics’ largest lead of the night was just seven points, the Knicks four, in a game that went back and forth for all four quarters. While the game was close for all 48 minutes, it does not tell the tale of just how the Knicks lost this game.

Although the defense was much better as was the ball movement, the Knicks’ woes at the foul line and the turnovers still keep them from getting the win. Julius Randle led the way with six turnovers. The team as a whole was 14 of 21 from the free-throw line. Had they made even four more of their free throws, they would have won the game by two.

This is only the sixth game of the season. There have been changes made in this short time, that look promising on both the defensive and offensive ends of the floor. Fizdale stuck to an eight-man rotation that should be great when Randle shows up. Randle had 8 points on 3 of 7 shooting. Frank Ntilikina was a strong presence on the defensive end and even contributed two three-pointers to the effort. The Knicks as a whole kept the Celtics in a back and forth game and it never got away from them. Poor free-throw shooting and costly turnovers will continue to add to the Knicks’ loss column. They could have and should have won this game tonight.

Three Stars

1. Marcus Morris led the Knicks’ scoring with 29 points on 8 of 17 field goals, 5 of 8 from three, 8 of 11 from the free-throw line and 9 rebounds. It seemed fitting that his breakout game was against his old team, who never bothered to call him during the offseason.
2. Jayson Tatum hit the game-winning shot for his team. He had 24 points on 4 of 8 from outside and 9 of 17 from the field. His game-winner is what made him the star tonight for the Celtics.
3. Kemba Walker was the leading scorer for the Celtics on 8 of 19 from the field and 3 of 9 from three-point range.

• RJ Barrett played 39 minutes contributing 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. He was the second-highest scorer for his team.
• Frank Ntilikina played 37 minutes and had 10 points which included 2 three-pointers one of which was the first of the game. He also had 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and one block. His presence was definitely felt on the court tonight.
• Kevin Knox played 28 minutes and had 12 points and 4 rebounds.
• Mitchell Robinson left the game briefly because of a sprained left ring finger which occurred when his dunk was blocked by Daniel Theis. The injury was not severe and he returned to the game. He played a total of 16 minutes, had 6 points, 6 rebounds, and his usual 2 blocks.
• Dennis Smith, Jr. and Reggie Bullock have not returned to the team. Both are out due to deaths of close family members.
• Elfrid Payton is still out with a calf injury.
• Taj Gibson, Allonzo Trier, Damyean Dotson, and Ignas Brazdeikis did not play due to coach’s decision.

The New York Knicks return home to the Garden on Sunday, Nov. 3 to face the Sacramento Kings.