Game Recap: 2025 NBA Playoffs Round 2, Game 1 – NYK at BOS: NYK: 108, BOS: 105

Before Game 1, I said  the Knicks didn’t have a chance against the Celtics. I also said the Knicks’ offense only runs through Jalen Brunson, and nobody else is capable of taking over.

I was wrong.

Sometimes, it’s good to be wrong, and maybe this squad of Knicks is tougher than I thought they were. On Monday night in Boston, thanks to OG Anunoby’s heroics alongside Jalen Brunson’s clutch performance, the Knicks stole Game 1 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs, 108-105.

The Knicks battled with Boston throughout the first quarter, but they lost their way toward the end of the second quarter. The score at halftime was 45-61 in favor of Boston, as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns each had three personal fouls. The Knicks then trailed by as many as 20 points in the third quarter. They hadn’t beaten Boston all year, and against the NBA’s defending champions, it seemed improbable – I daresay impossible – for the Knicks to win this game.

And then there was OG Anunoby. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was OG Anunoby. The $42.5 AAV forward proved why he deserved that contract, scoring consecutive three-pointers in the third quarter to drive the Knicks back into the game.

“[Anunoby] definitely sparked us,” said Jalen Brunson.

Anunoby finished the game with 29 points, shooting 10-for-20 from the field and 6-for-11 from three-point territory. He also helped his team hold Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday to a combined 12-for-48 from three-point territory. Boston finished the game 15-for-60 from behind the arc.

It was a combination of injuries, like Kristaps Porzingis’s illness, and excellent Knickerbocker defense that caused the Celtics to miss an NBA Playoff-worst 45 shots from three-point land, their favorite part of the court. Once Boston lost that aspect of their game, they were dazed and confused in their home arena. Let’s be honest, the Knicks didn’t play well for most of this game. They shot 54.8% from the free-throw line because Mitchell Robinson was 3-for-10. For a significant portion of this game, the Celtics superfluously fouled Robinson because they knew he’d miss his free throws.

“I don’t think you want to force [Boston] into threes,” said Josh Hart, who finished Game 1 with 11 rebounds and 14 points. “We don’t want them to shoot more threes. They got great shooters, man. We were just trying to make it tough for them, play physical, do those kinds of things.”

But to their credit, the Knicks adjusted to combat Boston’s mischievous strategies. They found ways to play in transition, and as they closed the gap on Boston, they defended the Celtics much better from downtown. The Knicks went on a 31-11 run to tie the score in the fourth quarter on a dunk by OG Anunoby.

“Just trying to hunt my shots, get in a position to run, and just be aggressive and just make the right play,” said Anunoby on his incredible Game 1 performance.

But there was another element that helped the Knicks beat Boston. The pee wee mosquito, Jalen Brunson, whom the Celtics couldn’t swat away. Jalen Brunson stole the leprechaun’s gold and scared the Celtics. There was fear in their eyes as Brunson’s game-winning shot attempt rolled around the rim. It missed, though, and the game went to overtime.

“So, not clutch enough,” said Brunson.

Brunson matched OG Anunoby’s total with 29 points on the night, including 11 in the fourth quarter, all of which were consecutive Knicks points. Brunson now has 75 fourth-quarter points this postseason, joining Kobe Bryant in 2008 and Stephen Curry in 2023 as the only NBA players with as many fourth-quarter points through their first seven games of a postseason.

“It’s not about putting the team on my back,” said Brunson. “I have confidence in them. They have confidence in me. We’re going to compete, find the best way to attack each possession.

Unfortunately, Brunson went scoreless in overtime, but his teammates supported him. They were able to produce when their captain couldn’t. And Mikal Bridges ruled over overtime.

The Knicks were leading Boston by three points after both teams missed a few shots, and Boston inbounded the ball with three seconds remaining. In one fell swoop, as the final second of overtime ticked off the clock, Mikal Bridges proved why he was worth five first-round draft picks. Jaylen Brown had possession of the basketball, and instead of sending him to the line for two, Bridges swiped the rock from his hands. Brown was befuddled as Bridges giddily hurled the basketball into the air. The Knicks had come back to win Game 1!

“You’ve got to watch his eyes,” said Bridges on the strategy behind the steal. “I’m a football guy, so I was watching his eyes, following where the ball landed so I could try to get my hands on him whenever the ball gets there because we wanted to foul him before he could shoot a three.” But Bridges never fouled Brown. He robbed him of a game-winning shot instead, and with that, the Knicks robbed the Celtics of a Game 1 victory.

Mikal Bridges finished the night with a game-high 51 minutes, and despite scoring just eight points, his go-ahead three-point shot and game-winning steal in overtime were arguably the Knicks’ greatest plays of the game.

“This game was all about mental toughness,” said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau after his team’s 108-105 Game 1 win over Boston. “We’re just going to keep fighting, that’s who we are,” said Mikal Bridges. “We’re not going to [give up] until the clock hits zero, and we’ve been showing it.”

Game 2 is scheduled for tonight in Boston at 7 PM (TNT, TruTV, MAX).