The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks took part in yet another nail-biting thriller on Wednesday in the second game of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Two days after completing a 20-point comeback to steal Game 1, the Knicks did the exact same thing in Game 2 with a 91-90 victory.
Despite being down by as many as 20-points, Mikal Bridges had a huge fourth quarter, including the game-clinching steal on Jayson Tatum on the final possession.
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Game 2 was eerily similar to the previous matchup, with the Celtics in control for the entire game. Boston’s long-range shooting wasn’t great, but it was an improvement from their ice-cold showing on Monday. After a dominant three quarters, the Celtics once again fell cold and missed 12 consecutive shots in the fourth.
This scoring drought allowed New York to go on a 21-4 scoring run in the final quarter. They took their first lead of the night with just under two minutes left to play.
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The Celtics took a one-point lead when Jayson Tatum threw down a strong one-handed slam with around 20 seconds left to go. On the other end however, Jalen Brunson made two clutch free throws to reclaim the lead.
On the final possession, Bridges snagged the ball from Tatum to prevent Boston from getting a shot off.
TATUM DOESN'T GET THE SHOT OFF ‼️
KNICKS WIN GAME 2 ???? pic.twitter.com/q8JH0dYKvU
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 8, 2025
The Knicks were led by Josh Hart who had 23 points and six rebounds alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 21 points and 17 rebounds. Bridges was essential to their comeback and had all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum was not his usual self and finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Jaylen Brown and Derrick white each scored 20, but it’s likely that no one on the Celtics will be proud of this performance.
The Knicks couldn’t be in a better position as they will now return home for Games 3 and 4 with a chance to sweep the reigning champs.
While the Celtics are one of the league’s best road teams, they have a monumental task ahead of them in order to avoid elimination.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
