The Boston Celtics returned home to TD Garden to face the second-placed New York Knickerbockers on Tuesday night. Both teams took turn throwing haymakers throughout the game, but it was the Celtics led by Jaylen Brown and Hugo Gonzalez who rallied the home team, as Boston won their 12th game of the year, 123-117.
Derrick White and Neemias Queta returned to the starting lineup for Boston after a night off in Cleveland on Sunday. Miles McBride started in the back court alongside Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns rounded out the lineup for the Knicks. OG Anunoby was still unavailable for New York due to hamstring strain. Hart knocked down a corner triple for the game’s opening score, and Brunson marched up the corner after a Celtic turnover and calmly nailed his first three-pointer as the Knicks came out the steadier of the two teams.
Boston had three uncharacteristic early turnovers to start the game as Brown was whistled for a foul boxing out KAT who tumbled to ground. New York were the more decisive team to start the clash as they went up twelve early with a 14-2 lead. New York had multiple shot attempts to start the game as the more active team on the glass with 5 early team assists and 4 early three-point makes with a 17-4 lead before Joe Mazzulla had seen enough and called a timeout.
Jaylen Brown hit his first field goal of the game at the seven-minute mark of the game on a steady mid-range jumper over Jalen Brunson. Pritchard found Neemias Queta for a pretty roll and lob dunk for Boston’s eighth point, Celtics trailed 8-19 early. Jordan Walsh showed his athleticism early on a tip-in follow off a Jaylen Brown miss.
New York were white hot shooting in the first quarter going 6-9 from deep to take an early 25-14 lead. Josh Minott, Anfernee Simons and Sam Hauser were the first C’s off the bench as Prichard, Queta and Walsh rested. Jaylen Brown was the focus of plenty of Knick defensive attention and had 4 early turnovers and 2 quick fouls as the lengthy New York wings were troubling him.
Boston went with the hack-a-Mitchell playoff approach late in the first quarter, which really stagnated play but didn’t generate any additional points for the home team. Anfernee Simons hit his first three-pointer shot with thirty seconds to go in the quarter to break a long scoring drought for Boston. New York took a double-digit lead into the break, up 32-21 after one.
Hugo Gonzalez scored his first points of the game to start the 2nd quarter as he strolled into the key and grabbed a bobbling rebound to score on a reverse layup. Payton Pritchard got free of Josh Hart and caught a sweet pass from Brown and laid the ball up for Boston with a one handed move. Jaylen Brown took advantage of a missed New York defensive rotation and drove into the lane for uncontested tomahawk jam.
Dec 2, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) defends Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the first half at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Gonzalez stayed down on a second KAT shot attempt and stole the ball from the big man which resulted in a Jaylen Brown layup, New York up 39-31. Brown was then started to feel it and he hit his first three-pointer of the game as he maneuvered around a big Queta screen to get the Knick lead back to just 5 points. Brown scored 9 straight points in this stretch as Boston fans started to come alive with Gonzalez, Pritchard, Queta and Simons on the court with him.
The second quarter was pretty much all Jaylen Brown after a disappointing first quarter, as the former Finals MVP put the team on his back and had his hand in everything. Derrick White joined in on the act hitting a sidestep three-pointer which bounced around the rim and eventually drop through the net. Brown was not done, he dribbled all the way through three Knick defenders and skied for the loud two-handed rim rocker over Jordan Clarkson as Boston finally took the lead 47-46.
Dec 2, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) during the first half at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Rookie Hugo Gonzalez played the entire second quarter and was equally important for the Celtics hustle to help fuel a bounce back performance, the nineteen-year-old had multiple steals and forced turnovers and did the little things. Boston flipped the script on the game behind Jaylen Brown’s 18 second quarter points, as the home team took a 58-52 lead at the half.
Boston started the second half with a pair of triples from Brown and Pritchard. Payton was starting to get going. Pritchard dribbled into the key for a step back two-point bucket as Boston opened up scoring 10 points to New York’s 5 points to start the half. New York eventually steadied in the third to cut the lead back to 6 points as McBride nailed a three-pointer and Mikal Bridges was scoring for the road team, as he converted on 13 points in the quarter.
Brown kept up the scoring touch rolling well into the third posting his 33rd point of the night with a turnaround jumper over Josh Hart in the low block. KAT drilled two tough shots on the interior for New York as they tried to keep pace with Boston.
Jaylen Brown was in his bag in the third hitting his 37th point of the contest over Mitchell Robinson as the Boston faithful were getting loud. A Derrick White three-pointer capped a 12-0 Celtic run to end the quarter, Boston in complete control, 94-76.
The Knicks shifted strategies to start the 4th quarter with a double big lineup of Robinson and Towns. Hugo Gonzalez was not afraid of the tall timber as he drove past an outstretched Towns for a lay in. Jordan Clarkson converted on a 4-point play, Kolek drove and hit a floater, as New York went on it’s own 9-0 run to get it back to 96-87.
Sammy Hauser came out of a TV timeout and drained a logo triple to stop the bleeding for Boston. Anfernee Simons then collected up a Pritchard deflected ball from an out of control KAT dribble and he drove the entire court to convert on layup, Boston up 102-87. New York went on another run, this time 12-0 as Gonzalez was whistled for a flagrant foul on a Jordan Clarkson three-pointer, before Bridges hit his sixth three of the game and 24th point.
Minott hit a corner triple and Jordan Walsh hit on back-to-back strong interior buckets to keep NY at arms length, 109-101. Walsh then stole a cross court pass and snagged an offensive board to give Boston a few scoring attempts. Derrick White laced his fourth three of the game as Boston retained the lead 112-107 as New York was throwing everything it had at Boston.
A tough Mikal Bridges three-pointer over Minott cut Boston’s lead to 3, before Walsh flashed from the arc and drove and converted on a strong contested layup. Jaylen Brown hit a pair of free throw’s with 1 minute 45 to go in the game. Brunson was in Struggletown all game as he went 6-21 from the field with 3 turnovers on the night. Boston held on in the final minute behind a desperate Jordan Walsh rebound and a Derrick White loose ball dive to secure possession.
The Celtics next face the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.
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