4 takeaways as Celtics lose to Knicks in surprise Super Bowl Sunday rout

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4 takeaways as Celtics lose to Knicks in surprise Super Bowl Sunday rout

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Sun, Feb 8, 2026 ·

3 min read

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BOSTON — The Celtics fell to the Knicks 111-89 in a brutal shooting game Sunday at TD Garden, snapping Boston’s five-game win streak. The C’s dropped to 34-19 and the Knicks improved to 34-19, tying them in the East standings. New York currently owns the season series 2-1, though there’s still one game left to play.

It was a slow start for the Celtics as the Knicks’ offense generated good looks. Jalen Brunson scored 15 points in the first quarter with New York pacing the way early. Despite the Celtics struggling on 3-pointers in the first half, they trimmed a 17-point deficit down to seven by halftime to stay within striking distance.

But the Knicks outscored the Celtics 25-15 in the third quarter. The C’s just couldn’t make 3-pointers. Boston was never able to mount a comeback effort from there. The Knicks kept them at arm’s length for most of the fourth quarter.

Jaylen Brown had 26 points to lead the Celtics, though it was on 11-for-25 shooting. Derrick White added 19 points and four assists. Brunson finished with 31 points and eight assists while Josh Hart had 19 points and six rebounds. Each team was without a starter as the C’s didn’t have Sam Hauser and the Knicks were without OG Anunoby .

The Celtics face the Bulls at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at TD Garden in their final game before the All-Star break. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s loss to New York:

Tough shooting:The Celtics couldn’t make enough shots throughout Sunday’s game, finishing just 7-for-41 (17.1%) on 3-pointers. That put pressure on other facets of the game, and on the other side, the Knicks made their open looks. It’s just the sixth time this season the Celtics have lost by double-digits. In comparison, the Knicks shot 14-for-35 (40%) on their 3-pointers. The Celtics’ 89 points were their lowest point total on the season.

Checking on the acquisition: New big man Nikola Vucevic came off the bench for the second straight game. He was slowed down by foul trouble, playing 23 minutes Sunday. It was a struggle offensively as Vucevic shot 5-for-13 on the night, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds. It’s clear his offensive game will mesh well with the Celtics, though he’ll need to make shots. But it was also a physical game from the Knicks all game with the Celtics also struggling to make shots.

More bigs:The Celtics continue to tinker with their starting lineup, going with double bigs for the third straight game in Neemias Queta and Luka Garza . Considering they’ve rarely gone double big throughout this season, it’s a notable wrinkle. Vucevic also got into the mix, pairing up with the other bigs. With the Celtics having more options at the big man spot, the double big look could be more of a fixture going forward. It gives them size and two of their bigs, Garza and Vucevic, can space the floor. The C’s have also had success running double bigs for years now.

Standings watch:With the season in its second half, Sunday’s game had big implications for the standings. The Knicks are now in second place after their victory, getting the head-to-head tiebreaker edge. The C’s and Knicks meet one last time in the regular season on April 9 in New York, so there’s still a chance to tie up the season series for Boston. With both teams so close to each other in the standings, Sunday’s game could have big implications later in the season.

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