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NEW YORK -- Leading 103-85 in the fourth quarter, Gordon Hayward had what he and most thought was a dunk.
Somehow the ball came out and the only one who seemed to notice was Jayson Tatum.
On-the-floor awareness helped Tatum and company pull away for their second straight win, 118-95, over the Knicks.
After a relatively close first half, the Celtics began to ratchet up the defense, get timely shots offensively from their reserves as well as starters, and the all-too-predictable Celtics beatdown at Madison Square Garden was on.
It got so lopsided that the Celtics were able to get Tacko Fall his first action in an NBA game.
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Here are four other takeaways from the Celtics win.
Kemba Killin’ it: It was another slow start for Kemba Walker, but when he began to heat up the dude was straight-up fire out there. He would lead all scorers with 32 points, 21 of which came in the second half.
Boston’s bench brigade: The Celtics’ second unit really save the day for Boston as the starters struggled most of the game offensively. Boston’s bench finished with a total of 39 points compared to just 22 by the Knicks.
Celtics’ guard play: This is where the Celtics absolutely owned the Knicks on Saturday. Boston’s quartet of Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Carsen Edwards tallied 73 points compared to New York’s Elfrid Payton, R.J. Barrett, Allonzo Trier and Dennis Smith Jr. who combined for just 36 points - 26 of which were scored by Barrett.
Tacko Time: He was on the team’s active roster for the first time and made the most of his mop-up minutes in the fourth quarter as he finished with four points and three rebounds.
Highlights: Celtics second-half surge leads to win>>>
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