Knicks Takeaways from Friday's 104-102 loss to the Celtics, including 29 points from Marcus Morris

The Knicks hung tough all game, but Tatum's shot gave Boston the win

11/2/2019, 2:07 AM
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The Knicks fought hard all night long, but a Jayson Tatum jumper gave the Celtics a 104-102 win on Friday. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Friday's game...

1) After a scrappy first three quarters, the Celtics entered the fourth with a slim 75-74 lead. As both teams continued to go back and forth, the Celtics maintained an 84-82 lead with seven minutes to play. Later, after the Celtics pushed out to a four-point lead, Marcus Morris hit a clutch three to bring the Knicks back within one with under four to go. Then, Kemba Walker, the Bronx native, hit a huge three of his own to swing the momentum back to the Celtics. Morris would quickly answer with a three of his own.

In the final minute, Morris knocked down yet another big three to tie things up at 102-102. He finished with 29 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. With 4.7 seconds left, the Celtics inbounded the ball to Jayson Tatum, who knocked down a fall-away two-pointer to give the Celtics a 104-102 victory.

 

2) Mitchell Robinson injured his left ring finger early in the third quarter on a dunk attempt. The Knicks' center went back to the locker room with the training staff, but the team later announced that x-rays were negative on what they called a left ring finger strain. Robinson came back into the game with 8:34 in the fourth quarter. He finished the night with six points, six rebounds, and two blocks in 16 minutes.

3) Frank Ntilikina got his first start of the season for the Knicks, with the team still without Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton. Ntilkina did hit a three in the first quarter for New York, and also tracked down Marcus Smart on a breakaway attempt for a clean block, but he once again didn't have a great shooting night from the floor. All told, Ntilikina was good for 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting, with three rebounds and two assists.

4) With Robinson dealing with his finger sprain, the Knicks relied on Bobby Portis to give them some reliable minutes at the center spot, and Portis had a solid game against the Celtics. In 20 minutes, Portis pitched in with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

5) RJ Barrett once again finished his night with double-digit points, but the third overall pick did not have his most efficient night from the floor. The southpaw shot just 5-of-17 from the floor, including 1-of-4 from beyond the arc. He was 4-of-6 from the free-throw line, though, showing an improvement in that area.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks are back home for a Sunday matchup with the Sacramento Kings. The two teams will tip things off from Madison Square Garden at 6 p.m.

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