Bridges & Knicks Do It Again to Take Game 2! NY 91 Boston 90

May 8, 2025 LouV 2024-25 0

In a repeat performance from Game 1, the Knicks came from 20 points down late in the 3rd quarter to stun the Celtics in Boston in Game 2, 91-90, as Mikal Bridges stole the final pass of the game to secure the win!

NY was down 73-53 with 2:18 left in the 3rd when Miles McBride made a dunk to begin their comeback. Josh Hart hit a 3 from the corner and then McBride hit a 3 and NY was down 12 entering the 4th. Mikal Bridges – who was 0-8 from the floor in the first 3 quarters, scored 14 points in the 4th quarter to lead the Knicks to the win.

The Knicks took over the game down the stretch with stifling defense – and Jalen Brunson hit big shots in the final 2 minutes – an 18-footer finally putting NY ahead 87-86 with 1:59 left, hitting a drive in traffic with 56 seconds left to give NY an 89-86 lead, and hitting 2 clutch free throws with 12 seconds left to put NY back on top 91-90 after Jayson Tatum had run the floor for a dunk to put Boston momentarily back up.

And the Knick defense carried the day – limiting Boston to 17 pts in the 4th quarter, and only 6 pts in the last 8:40. Bridges and OG Anunoby were erasers at the wing, and Mitchell Robinson anchored the defense in the paint – often switching to guard Jayson Tatum.

“People always talk about offensive runs, I think you go on defensive runs, as well,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards. “You also go on rebounding runs.”

“They helped me up, throughout the whole, me missing every shot until that point,” said Mikal Bridges afterwards. “It’s really truly them, just holding me together and keeping me mentally right and just telling me to keep going.”

The Scoring

  • Josh Hart led the Knicks in scoring with 23 pts on 9-15 shooting (3-6 from 3),
  • Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 pts on 9-16 shooting (0-1 from 3) with 17 rebounds,
  • Brunson had 17 pts on 6-19 shooting (2-9 from 3) but hit the big shots late,
  • OG Anunoby had 5 pts on 2-9 shooting (1-4 from 3) but played Great D,
  • Robinson had a game-high +19 in 22 minutes with 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 8 pts on 3-5 shooting (0-1 in free throws),
  • Bridges finished with 14 pts on 6-18 shooting (2-8 from 3) – all his buckets coming in the 4th, and
  • Miles McBride had 5 pts in 17 minutes and a +5.

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White led Boston with 20 pts each, but OG and Bridges and Mitch Robinson did a job on Jayson Tatum, limiting him to 13 pts on 5-19 shooting (1-5 from 3).

The Knicks also limited Boston’s 3-pt attempts, from 60 in game 1, to 10-40 shooting. After game 1, coach Tom Thibodeau had said he felt Boston got too many 3 attempts up and NY needed to adjust that.

1. Boston Rips Out on Top 24-13 After 1

Boston came out looking to make up for the loss in Game 1, when the Knicks came back from 20 points down to win. Derrick White was hitting 3’s and Jaylen Brown was scoring on pullups as Boston raced out to a 24-11 lead.

2. KAT Leads Knicks Back to Within 5 in 2nd

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks back into the game early in the 2nd quarter, hitting consecutive drive-and-1’s inside, and then another drive inside for 8 straight points to pull NY within 26-21.

3. Boston with 50-41 Halftime Lead

But Boston started to climb away again as Jaylen Brown hit a drive-and-1, and Derrick White made 3 free throws after being fouled on a 3, then followed with a 3 to give Boston a 46-30 lead.

The Knicks flurried back with a 14-5 run – with Josh Hart scoring 6 points on drives or pullups, OG scoring on a dunk, and Brunson hitting a 3 — to end the half down 50-41.

4. Boston Goes Up by 20 Late in 3rd

But Boston pulled away again midway thru the 3rd – a Jaylen Brown 3, Derrick White drive, Luke Kornet dunk, and Kristaps Porzingis dunk gave Boston 9 straight points and a 70-50 lead.

Josh Hart answered with a 3, but Porzingis answered that with a 3 and Boston was up 73-53 with 3:12 left in the 3rd.

Things were looking dark for NY.

5. McBride & Hart Begin NY Comeback

And then.. Miles McBride took it full court for a dunk. A sign of resistance.

And then.. Josh Hart made a corner 3. A little sign of hope. NY down 15.

And then.. Brunson fed McBride on the perimeter and he hit a 3 – and NY was back in it, down 12 at 73-61.

NY defended the final Boston possession of the 3rd – huge as the Knicks entered the 4th down 12.

6. Bridges & Knicks DEFENSE Takes Over in 4th

And then came the 4th quarter — Boston pushed back, but Mikal Bridges started to get hot for NY.

Boston Takes 16-Pt Lead Despite Bridges Fighting Back

  • Kristaps Porzingis started the 4th with a dunk-and-1 and Boston was back up 15.
  • But Mikal Bridges answered with a 17 footer – his first made shot of the game – he had been 0-8.
  • Payton Pritchard answered with a 3 – and Boston was up by 16 again, 79-63 with 10:20 left in the game.
  • But Bridges hit another deuce – this time a 9-footer.
  • Al Horford answered with a bucket and Boston was still up 16 with 9:46 left.
  • But Bridges answered with a 3.
  • Payton Pritchard answered with a 3 and Boston was back up 16 with 8:40 left, 84-68.

Robinson’s Bucket Inside Begins Final Knick Run

And from that point forward – the Knick defense locked down. Boston would only get 6 more points.

  • Mitchell Robinson started a 23-6 NY run with a bucket-and-1 inside, Porzingis drawing the foul, and then Bridges hit consecutive buckets and a 3 – 7 straight points – to pull NY within 84-77.

  • Brunson hit a HUGE 3, and Hart scored inside to pull NY within 86-82 with 3:18 left.
    KAT tipped in an offensive rebound off a Hart miss, and got fouled for a 3-pt play and NY was within 86-85.

7. Brunson CLUTCH Down Stretch

In the final 2 minutes, Brunson took over. An 18 footer with 1:59 left gave NY the lead 87-86.
A Brunson drive gave NY an 89-86 lead with 56 seconds left.

Boston still had life in them – Tatum free throws pulled them back within a point, and after Brunson missed a 3 with 26 seconds left, Boston called timeout, then ran a play where Jayson Tatum ran the length of the court after the time out and dunked. Boston took a 90-89 lead with 18.1 seconds left.

After a timeout, Brunson drove the lane, stopped for a pullup, and was fouled by Jrue Holliday. He made both CLUTCH free throws for a NY lead – 91-90 with 12.1 seconds left.

Then the final play — Boston with no timeouts — Tatum bringing up the ball off the Brunson free throws – attempting to drive the lane but cut off by Robinson, veering to the corner met by OG, and passing back to Jaylen Brown intercepted by Bridges for the old ballgame!

“When defenders are willing to defend hard the entire possession while buying in to team defensive but also willing to communicate and help, good things happen,” summed up NBA Analyst Ross Kreines.

It all went like this — minus the Knick defense:

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401769747

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