Celtics vs. Knicks Score, Takeaways: Boston, who is triggered by surprising star, keeps the season alive without Jayson

The Boston Celtics still live against the New York Knicks. The Celtics died on Wednesday evening without star striker Jayson Tatum to win the game 5, 127-102. The Knicks still lead the series 3-2 and have another chance of switching to the Eastern Conference final in the game 6 on Friday.

Derrick White scored 34 points and Jaylen Brown added 26 when the Celtics used a strong third quarter with the victory. Tatum opened his Achilles in game 4 on Monday And will miss the rest of this playoff run and possibly the entire next season.

Thanks to the shooting of 52.4%, Boston did not blow a double-digit guidance from the field and 44.9% from the 3-point area. The Celtics received a little from all, but one of the greatest outstanding performances was Luke Kornet from the bank, the 10 points, nine rebounds and had Seven Blocks.

Josh Hart led the Knicks with 24 points. Jalen Brunson scored 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting, but dried up in the fourth quarter.

The Knicks will now try to get to the Eastern Conference final since 2000 on Friday. The Celtics now try to avoid that the sixth incumbent NBA champion in a row in the second round or earlier. No defending champion has made it beyond the second round since the Warriors in 2019.

The Luke Kornet game

It was a hurricane of 48 hours for the Celtics. Not only could they not lead a late lead in game 4 to improve the series, they also lost Tatum in the foreseeable future. It meant that Boston's chances of winning game 5 were slim because they had to find production from another place without a franchise striker. There Kornet came into play with a cloak. The 7-foot center was a plus 20 center in the 28 minutes he played on Wednesday evening and ended with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.

Koret's efforts on both ends of the soil were contagious for a Celtics team that urgently needed a spark. He dived for loose balls, flew through the square and temporal blocks. It was particularly important because Kristaps Porzingis was essentially a non-factor and only played for 12 minutes, which everyone came in the first half.

Koret became the X factor for the Celtics and was a big reason why they won game 5. When Porzingis has to struggle in this series, it will be interesting to see whether coach Joe Mazzulla goes to Kornet in game 6.

A missed opportunity from the Knicks

This game was bound at halftime, only the Knicks had to keep this thing nearby and keep the Celtics away. This was a discouraged Boston team after he had lost Tatum, so that the momentum on New York's side was to close it. And yet anunoby and Mikal Bridges combined three points in the second half, Karl-Anthony Towns was mostly unscommolished, and Brunson fouled with seven minutes seven minutes ago. As a team, the Knicks only shot 29.4% of the field and 30.8% from the 3-point range. Seven of her ten sales came in the second half, and the crime fell stagnated, some of which recognized Boston's crime.

Defensive it was worse. It just looked as if the Knicks were not prepared for how Boston would play. The Celtics made themselves effortlessly into the transition, had a great ball movement with little defense pressure and had no problem getting the look that they wanted all night.

“I think it's twice,” said Knicks trainer Tom Thibodeau about his team's difficulty in defense in the transition. “I think it is the commitment to print back and then to communicate to ensure that we understand what's going on. We cannot have a personal dilemma if you miss a shot, or it is not good that you joke back.

It is not everything doom and darkness, Hart's 3-point shooting (5 out of 9) was an encouraging sign because it only shoots 29.4% in this series from the depth. But outside of it, it was a rather disappointing effort of a team that was progressed for the first time since 2000 for the final of the conference.

Another chance on Friday

Fortunately, the Knicks have another shot to complete this thing on Friday, and luckily they can do it before their home. But it will require a much greater performance than the one you gave on Wednesday. It means that Brunson can not only pick up five fouls in the third quarter. It has to be smarter than that. The kinks need more production from one – or both – from Anunoby and Bridges. The defense must be narrower, they do not have to be satisfied with bad shots and restrict sales.

All of this is easier said than done. And while the Celtics are short, they are still not a team that they want to underestimate. Boston has proven that it can win without Tatum, but can it win two more games about what a crazy comeback would be? The chances are low, but if there were a team, this Celtics team – even without Tatum – would be the one who pulls it off.