The Garden was shaking. If you were in Manhattan on that Saturday afternoon in May, you felt it. The New York Knicks had spent the better part of a week making the Boston Celtics look human. They’d stolen two games in Boston. They’d physically bullied the best team in the regular season. Everyone—literally everyone—was ready to crown Jalen Brunson the new King of New York. But then Celtics Knicks game 3 happened, and the vibes shifted in a heartbeat.
It wasn’t just a win for Boston. It was a 115-93 demolition.
Basketball is a game of math. Sometimes that math is cruel. Entering this pivotal matchup, the Celtics were staring at a 0-2 hole and a historic shooting slump. They had missed 75 of their first 100 three-point attempts in the series. Let that sink in for a second. Seventy-five misses. You can’t win like that, especially when the Knicks are playing a physical, grinding style that forces you to settle for long-range jumpers. People were calling them "soft." The media was ready to write the obituary for the Tatum-Brown era.
Then the ball tipped at Madison Square Garden.
The Three-Point Avalanche in Celtics Knicks Game 3
Boston decided they weren't going to miss anymore. It was almost comical. After two games of clanking shots off the front rim, the Celtics came out and hit 20 of 40 from downtown. A clean 50%. It was the kind of shooting performance that makes an opposing coach want to throw their clipboard into the Hudson River.
👉 See also: Steelers News: Justin Fields and the 2026 Quarterback Reality
Derrick White started the fire, but it was Payton Pritchard who truly poured the gasoline. Pritchard is one of those guys who just loves the big stage. He finished with a team-high 23 points off the bench, knocking down 5-of-10 from three. Jayson Tatum added 22 points, and Jaylen Brown chipped in 19. It was a balanced attack that the Knicks simply couldn’t keep up with.
The lead ballooned to 20 points in the second quarter. Usually, the Knicks under Tom Thibodeau find a way to claw back. They had done it in Games 1 and 2, erasing double-digit deficits like they were nothing. Not this time. Boston’s defense was a straight-up vise. They held the Knicks to 20% from three-point range. Jalen Brunson got his 27 points, sure, but he had to work for every single inch of floor space. Karl-Anthony Towns had 21, but the rest of the roster was largely neutralized.
Honestly, the energy in MSG went from "we're going to the Finals" to "uh oh" real quick.
Why the Celtics Bench Was the Real Story
We talk about the stars a lot. Tatum. Brown. Brunson. But you've gotta look at the depth. In Celtics Knicks game 3, the bench was the difference-maker. When Pritchard is hitting 30-footers and Luke Kornet is providing solid minutes at the rim, Boston is basically impossible to beat.
✨ Don't miss: South Dakota State Football vs NDSU Football Matches: Why the Border Battle Just Changed Forever
- Payton Pritchard: 23 points (The X-factor)
- Derrick White: Instrumental early shooting
- Sam Hauser: Provided floor spacing that pulled the Knicks' defense apart
The Knicks' bench, which had been so good at home all season, just didn't have the same punch. Josh Hart played his usual heavy minutes, but you could see the fatigue starting to set in. Thibs plays his guys a lot. We know this. But when Boston is rotating fresh bodies and hitting 50% of their threes, those heavy minutes start to feel like lead weights in your shoes.
The Strategy That Most People Missed
Everyone focuses on the shooting, but the real tweak in Celtics Knicks game 3 was how Boston handled the Knicks' pick-and-roll. Joe Mazzulla adjusted the drop coverage. They stopped letting Brunson get to those comfortable mid-range spots where he kills you with that little floater. They forced him to either pass to shooters who were cold or take contested shots at the rim against Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.
Porzingis was playing through illness, which is something a lot of people forget. He didn't look 100%, but his presence alone changed the geometry of the court. He altered shots. He made the Knicks think twice about driving. Even when he’s not scoring 30, he’s a massive problem for an offense that relies on getting to the paint.
The Knicks actually led the series 2-1 after this game, but the momentum had clearly swung. The 22-point margin tied the record for the largest home playoff loss in Knicks history. That stays with a team. It gets in your head.
🔗 Read more: Shedeur Sanders Draft Room: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
The Stats That Mattered
When you look back at the box score, a few things jump out. The Celtics outscored the Knicks by 45 points from the three-point line. You read that right. Forty-five. In a modern NBA game, you can't overcome that kind of math unless you're getting to the free-throw line 50 times, which the Knicks weren't.
Boston also dominated the glass early. They didn't allow those second-chance points that fueled the Knicks' wins in the first two games. It was a disciplined, angry performance from a team that knew their season was essentially on the line.
What This Game Taught Us About Both Teams
The Knicks are tough as nails. We know that. They would go on to win Game 4 and take a 3-1 lead, showing that Game 3 might have been a bit of an outlier in terms of the shooting variance. However, Game 3 proved that the Celtics' ceiling is higher than anyone else's in the league. When they are clicking, there is no defensive scheme in the world that can stop them.
It also highlighted the vulnerability of the Knicks' "thin" rotation. When you rely so heavily on five or six guys to play 40+ minutes, one bad shooting night from the stars can lead to a blowout. There's no margin for error.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Analysts
If you're looking back at this rivalry or preparing for future matchups, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the 3PT Volume: Boston lives and dies by the three. If they're taking 40+ and hitting 40%, the game is over.
- Bench Minutes Matter: Monitor how much the Knicks' starters are playing in the first two games of a series. Fatigue usually shows up in Game 3 or 4.
- The Porzingis Factor: Even a hobbled Porzingis changes how the Knicks have to attack the rim. His health is the biggest variable in this matchup.
- Home Court Isn't Everything: As Boston showed, a desperate elite team can silence a rowdy MSG crowd very quickly.
This game didn't decide the series, but it certainly set the stage for the drama that followed. It was a masterclass in modern basketball: space the floor, hunt the best shot, and let the math do the work. The Celtics finally saw the ball go through the hoop, and for one afternoon in New York, they looked like the juggernaut everyone expected them to be.