NBA playoffs results and takeaways: Celtics rout Knicks 115-93, bringing New York’s series lead to 2-1

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The Boston Celtics picked up their first win in Game 3 of their series against the New York Knicks behind an all-around team effort, as four of their five starters scored at least 12 points or more and Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard led all scorers with 23 points.

Pritchard’s 23 points in the 115-93 victory surpass his playoff career high he set in Round 1 against the Orlando Magic (19 points).

Jayson Tatum finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Jaylen Brown scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and dropped five assists.

The Knicks still lead the series 2-1, but Boston found its identity Saturday, shooting 50 percent from 3 (20-of-40). Boston never trailed and led by as many as 31 points.

The Celtics have found some life in this series after dropping their first two games at home and will look to tie it up Monday at Madison Square Garden at 7:30 p.m. ET.

CELTICS SPLASH THEIR WAY TO A WIRE-TO-WIRE GAME 3 WIN!

☘️ 20 3PM
☘️ Plus 45 points on 3-point margin
☘️ 50.0 3P% pic.twitter.com/oYN8UKsHRH

— NBA (@NBA) May 10, 2025

Knicks down 20? No problem. Well, it was in Game 3.

After coming back from 20 points in the first two games, the Knicks found themselves down 20-plus again versus the Celtics, but this time were unable to put any dent in the deficit as the defending champs found their shooting touch.

As much as this game felt like a must-win for the Celtics, down 0-2, it was equally as important for New York. No team in NBA history has ever blown a 3-0 series lead in the postseason.

Now, Boston, one of the best road teams of all time this season, has a chance to tie the series up on Monday in Madison Square Garden before going back home.

Ultimately, the Knicks need to find a way to stop trailing by 20. It’s hard for any team to fight and claw back out of a hole regularly, and it feels like New York has used up enough comeback efforts this postseason to last a lifetime.

New York’s defense wasn’t nearly as sharp as it had been. It lost Celtics shooters all night and struggled between drop and switching. On the other end, the offense continues to stall out and go long spells without any form of rhythm. New York’s spotty 3-point shooting bit them tremendously in Game 3, and so did the poor free-throw shooting.

The Knicks must find a way to generate better offense with more regularity to compete with Boston. The Celtics are too solid on both sides of the ball not to be able to score with them or slow them down when shots are falling, hence the dominant performance on Saturday night when Boston found its shooting touch. — James Edwards III, Knicks beat writer

Boston finds its identity

The Celtics regaining their ability to make 3-pointers will likely drive more of the media coverage before Game 4, but they also did an excellent job of taking away many of the Knicks’ open looks.

The Celtics cleaned up many of the scouting report errors that allowed OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to get good shots over the first two games. The wings each finished 0-for-2 from behind the arc.

As a team, New York shot just 2-for-17 from downtown over the first three quarters before finding a bit of success in the fourth quarter after the game was lopsided. They won’t be likely to shoot 11.8 percent from deep again, regardless of how they’re defended (they finished at 20 percent), but should have a tough time finding great shots if the Celtics continue limiting some of the transition mistakes and halfcourt breakdowns that hurt them earlier in the series.

The Celtics were desperate in Game 3. They should be again in Game 4, but will need to carry over the same focus and intensity into the rest of the series. — Jay King, Celtics beat writer

3s please

This performance felt inevitable. The Celtics sank only a quarter of their 3-point attempts during each of the first two games of the series, but they are the most unrelenting long-range attack in league history — the single-season leaders in makes and attempts. Boston was due for a 3-point outbreak. Today was the day it finally occurred.

The Celtics began hot, 6-of-7 from deep in the first quarter. They finished 20-of-40 for the game.

They feasted on the Knicks’ inconsistent pick-and-roll resistance from the start. Karl-Anthony Towns, especially, wasn’t executing with the precision he did over the first two games of the series. Instead of switching or venturing all the way up to the level of the screen on pick-and-rolls, he sagged back too far. It allowed easier pull-up jumpers for Tatum, who finished 5-of-8 from deep. The wings didn’t close out successfully enough to disrupt Derrick White or Pritchard from firing up open looks.

Finally, after a couple of performances with Boston moving in slow motion, the Celtics looked like the Celtics. — Fred Katz, senior NBA writer 

Mazzula’s adjustments

The Celtics hit their 3s again, the simplest explanation for why they won so big. But it was all the little things they did around those shots that allowed them to actually hold on to their massive lead. Joe Mazzulla was better at reading where his players’ weak points were early on and changing the shape of the offense to mitigate them. Kristaps Porziņģis still looked awful and kept turning it over every time he handled the ball on the perimeter. Mazzulla’s response was to send him deeper into the post, where he could draw a foul with just a dribble or two while keeping the ball protected.

Targeting Jalen Brunson in the post became too tedious in the last few games, sapping some of the rhythm from the offense. So they wasted less time trying to find him and just took whatever post matchup they liked, betting they could finish if they caught the ball deep enough. This game was less about maximizing the advantages they hoped for and more about embracing the advantages they could find. This was a statement by the Celtics that while they strive for the ideal of perfection, they can live with the compromises forced by playoff basketball. — Jared Weiss, Celtics beat writer

(Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler / Getty Images)

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