NEW YORK Knicks battled back from 20 points down to defeat Boston Celtics in overtime, 108-105, in Game 1 of NBA Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night (Tuesday in the Philippines) at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Down 55-75 midway through the third quarter, the Knicks slowly clawed their way back behind OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, and Karl-Anthony Towns to force an extension at 100-all.
The Knicks continued their momentum in overtime with conversions from Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Towns for a 108-102 lead. The Celtics managed to cut the deficit to 105-108 on a Jaylen Brown triple, but he lost the ball late in the game.
Anunoby top-scored for the Knicks with 29 points, including six three-pointers, while Brunson chipped in 29 markers, with five outside conversions, as they took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Towns had a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds, Josh Hart added 14 markers and 11 boards, while Miles McBride also ended up with 11 markers for the Knicks.
Brown and Jayson Tatum finished with 23 points apiece for the defending champions Celtics, Derrick White added 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday and Payton Pritchard contributed 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Aaron Gordon capped Denver Nuggets’ massive fightback with a go-ahead three pointer as they stunned Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-119, in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Trailing by double-digits for most part of the game, the Nuggets leaned on conversions from Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook, and Gordon to pull to within 118-119 with 10.7 seconds left.
Thunder center Chet Holmgren failed to extend their lead after missing two free throws, this led to Gordon converting a go-ahead triple from the left wing with three seconds left.
Gordon finished with a double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Jokic overcame foul trouble to end up with 42 points, 22 rebounds, and six assists for the Nuggets./PN
BOX SCORE:
NEW YORK 108 — Brunson 29, Anunoby 29, Hart 14, Towns 14, McBride 11, Bridges 8, Robinson 3, Payne 0, Achiuwa 0.
BOSTON 105 — Brown 23, Tatum 23, White 19, Holiday 16, Pritchard 13, Horford 7, Kornet 4, Porzingis 0, Hauser 0.
Quarterscores: 25-26, 45-61, 75-84, 100-100, 108-105.
