Even without Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics showed their championship pride, knocking off the New York Knicks 127-102 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference second-round series.
New York led by as many as nine points in the first half, but Boston made a run, tying the game by the break. It was all Boston in the second half, outscoring New York 68-43 behind stifling defense and another hot shooting night from deep, going 22-of-49 from distance. Derrick White led all scorers with 34 points, followed by 26 points and 12 assists from Jaylen Brown.
The Knicks shot just 35.8 percent from the field, led by 24 points from Josh Hart. Jalen Brunson finished with 22 points on just 7-of-17 shooting and fouled out early in the fourth quarter. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby combined to shoot 5-of-26 from the field.
Game 6 will be Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
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NBA playoffs takeaways: Celtics narrow series to 3-2 in 127-102 win over Knicks
