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Celtics-Knicks ending, explained: New York erases another 20-point lead for Game 2 win vs. Boston

Daniel Chavkin

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Celtics-Knicks ending, explained: New York erases another 20-point lead for Game 2 win vs. Boston image

The Knicks did it again.

For the second-straight game, New York erased a 20-point lead in the second half against the Celtics, defeating Boston 91-90 and taking a 2-0 lead back to New York. This marked the first time a team came back from down by 20 points in back-to-back playoff games to win.

While the ending wasn't exactly the same as Monday night, it did have many similar elements, including the Celtics' offense going cold and the Knicks securing a game-winning steal. It all adds up to New York emphatically stealing home-court advantage as the second-round series heads to Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Here's how the Knicks survived another thriller.

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Celtics-Knicks Game 2 ending, explained

The Knicks comeback was sparked by Mikal Bridges, who scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter, helping New York outscore Boston 30-17 in the final frame. However, this comeback was much slower than Game 1's comeback, as the Celtics were up 73-53 late in the third and the Knicks didn't take the lead until there were two minutes left in the game.

In the final 10 minutes of action, the Knicks outscored the Celtics 26-9, as Boston struggled again offensively. Boston only shot 10-of-40 from deep and has now produced the most three-point misses in a two-game stretch in NBA playoff history.

It seemed as though the Celtics were going to escape when a Jayson Tatum dunk put Boston up by one with 18.1 seconds left. However, Jalen Brunson drew a foul on the other end and drilled two free throws to put them up by one before Mikal Bridges secured his second-straight game-winning steal.

The game was such a stunner even Brunson acknowledged how unbelievable the comeback was.

"That's some wild stuff right there," he told Allie LaForce after the game.

Mitchell Robinson also had a huge game for New York, as he was a team-high +19 on the night and anchored the Knicks' defense. He was so effective that he forced the Celtics to burn two fouls in an attempt to get him out of the game or to the free throw line, where he has struggled in his career, before the Knicks subbed him out.

While the Celtics had a timeout left, they didn't call it ahead of the final play of the game. Head coach Joe Mazzulla explained that was because they trusted the team to run the same play he just called a possession before. 

"Tried to execute the exact same thing, they did a better job...we weren't able to get the advantage that we had on the last Tatum dunk," he said.

Tatum had another quiet game, totaling just 13 points on 5-19 shooting, including 1-5 from beyond the arc. He has now shot just 5-20 from deep in the second round after shooting 34.3 percent from three during the regular season.

For the Celtics to get back into the series, they will have to find a way to right the ship down 2-0 in a series for the first time in two years.

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Celtics-Knicks schedule

DateGameTimeTV Channel
May 5Game 1: Knicks 108, Celtics 105----
May 7Game 2: Knicks 91, Celtics 90----
May 10Game 3: Knicks vs. Celtics3:30 p.m.ABC
May 12Game 4: Knicks vs. Celtics7:30 p.m.ESPN
May 14Game 5: Celtics vs. KnicksTBDTNT
May 16Game 6: Knicks vs. Celtics8:00 p.m.ESPN
May 19Game 7: Celtics vs. Knicks8:00 p.m.TNT

Daniel Chavkin

Daniel Chavkin is a Digital Content Producer for The Sporting News. A 2018 graduate from the University of Maryland, he has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and NFLTradeRumors.com.