Celtics Fall To The N.Y. Knicks At MSG, 102-93

Tonight the Boston Celtics lost a tough one to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 102-93, in a game where they were without some of their key contributors.

Prior to the start of the game, forward Jaylen Brown (left Achilles soreness) was ruled out as a game-time decision, and guard Shane Larkin (left knee soreness,) plus forward Marcus Morris (left knee rehab) had already been ruled out of the NYC matchup.

The Knicks started off the game on a 13-2 run, which lead to a 25-15 lead over the Celtics at the end of the first. During the quarter, the Celtics were out-rebounded 17-to-8, while shooting only 35 percent from the field.

The game of runs continued in the second where the Celtics jumped out to an 8-2 run, only to trail 44-40 heading into halftime. Through the first-half, the Celtics weren’t shooting all too well (34.9 percent,) but the Knicks (32.6 percent) weren't either.

Rebounding was a reoccurring issue for a Morris-less Celtics as they were out-rebound 32-to-23 in the first half, and 49-to-35 at the close of the game.

Things seemed hopeful for the Celtics as they jump started the second-half with a 17-9 run to take a 57-53 lead over the Knicks with 6:49 to play in the third quarter. Following a series of missed shots for both teams in the final three minutes, the Knicks were able to pick up a quick six points in the final minute of the quarter, to tie things up at 68.

As the fourth quarter rolled around, things were still looking up for the Celtics but the shots just didn’t want to fall for them, as they end up only shooting 38 percent from the field. The Knicks were able to seal the deal down the stretch after a Doug McDermott three-pointer and a series of made free throws by Michael Beasley and former Celtics guard Courtney Lee.

Even though the Celtics loss a tough one, the highlight of the game came in the fourth quarter when Jayson Tatum hit one of the most ridiculous fadeaway shots ever seen! Check it out below:

On a night where Kyrie Irving out-shot the entire Celtics bench combined, he ended up leading all Celtics scorers with 32 points (12-27 FG/5-12 3PT) and Jayson Tatum went 6-of-10 from the field for 17 points. Michael Beasley contributed 32 points off the bench for the Knicks, which was a team high. Kristaps Porzingis returned from a two-game absence only to score one point on the night, which came from the line where he shot 1-for-3 to go with 0-of-11 from the field and 0-of-3 from three-land, during 23 minutes on the floor.

UP NEXT: The Celtics welcome the Chicago Bulls to the TD Garden on Saturday night for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. Catch the call of the game with Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell live on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with pre-game coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m.

--  By John 'The Dude' Hardiman, 985TheSportsHub.com