The Boston Celtics reignited their repeat NBC championship hopes with a dominant 115-93 win over the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
After falling behind 2-0 in the series, Boston responded with a statement victory, fueled by their hottest shooting night of the postseason. The Celtics, who had struggled from long range in the first two games (25-for-100 combined), found their rhythm and drilled 20 of their 40 attempts from beyond the arc.
Payton Pritchard led the offensive explosion with a playoff career-best 23 points off the bench, going 5-for-10 from three-point range. His spark helped Boston build a lead that stretched as high as 31 points.
Jayson Tatum delivered his strongest outing of the series, tallying 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. He also connected on five of his nine three-point attempts. “All five Celtics starters made at least two 3-pointers,” highlighting the team’s well-rounded perimeter attack.
The Knicks, in contrast, struggled to keep pace, hitting only 5 of their 25 attempts from deep.
Despite the loss, New York still holds a 2-1 series advantage. Game 4 is set for Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, where the Celtics will aim to even the series, and the Knicks will look to regain momentum on their home court.