Full-squad effort guides the Celtics to victory in Game 3

The Boston Celtics took Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, beating the New York Knicks 115-93 on Saturday afternoon. They got contributions from their entire roster in the effort, and for the first time in the series put together a full 48 minutes to make it two games to one.

The Celtics got off to a quick start by jumping out to an early 13-6 lead. Through the first six minutes the Knicks struggled shooting just 2-for-11 compared to the Celtics' 5-for-9 from the floor. Also, the threes showed some early promise as the C's - who were more selective on their shots from deep - went 4-for-4 to start. All that being said, the open layups were troublesome for the Celtics at times in the first quarter.

Later on in the stanza Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics once again decided to intentionally foul Mitchell Robinson, despite the criticisms from Game 2. The decision worked out, however, as Robinson again missed both free throws killing the Knicks drive. With the misses Robinson fell to 3-for-13 from the line in the series.

Overall the first quarter was all Celtics, who finished the quarter up 36-20. The 3-pointer seemed to return for the Celtics as they finished the quarter 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. Scoring was spread out among multiple players with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard each contributing seven points (tied for the most in the quarter).

As the second quarter began it looked like the Celtics' dominance from three had diminished, beginning the quarter 1-for-6. But, Jayson Tatum (who was 4-for-5 from three with 14 points) got it going once again hitting the first of five Celtics threes late in the quarter. The Celtics concluded the second 6-for-11 and the first half 12-for-19. Plus, they finished the first half with the games largest lead to that point of 25 points (71-46).

The Knicks had a difficult shooting half (17-for-43 from the floor, and 2-for-12 from three). Their points leader from the first half was Karl-Anthony Towns who looked strong underneath the rim, especially with offensive put-backs. Meanwhile for the Celtics, Brown had the most points in the half with 17.

The Celtics again cruised in the third quarter holding a near 30-point lead - even going up by as much as 31 points at times in the stanza - for the majority. They continued to use the 'hack' strategy in the third putting Robinson on the line in hopes he would miss the free throws, which he often did, and stymie the Knicks drives. The C's finished the quarter leading 96-70 in front of the hushed New York crowd.

The Knicks dwindled the Celtics' lead down to 20 points as they looked to launch another fourth quarter comeback, but the margin was too far to gap. Pritchard (23 points), Tatum (22 points), and Brown (19 point) all stood out, but it was an all around effort that got the job done. Also, it seemed the 3-pointer was back for Boston as the Celtics finished 20-of-40 (50 percent). In the end, the Celtics were able to enter Madison Square Garden, silence the once rowdy crowd, and beat the Knicks 115-93 in Game 3.

The Celtics and the Knicks continue the Eastern Conference Semifinals with Game 4 at Madison Square Garden on Monday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Be sure to tune into 98.5 The Sports Hub for the broadcast of the game.

Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.