This week, the New York Knicks—as 14-point underdogs—won a miraculous game against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. They succeeded this time against the Boston Celtics in game one of their Eastern Conference semi-final series. The exciting matchup concluded with a nail-biting 108-105 score in overtime, highlighting the tenacity of each team. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby led the charge for the Knicks, each contributing 29 points, while the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum matched their efforts with 23 points.
The complexion of the game changed completely when Brunson was able to convert a lay-up with just three seconds remaining in regulation. This gaffe would ultimately keep the score tied at 100-100. This led to an electrifying, filtered down by two stars, energy overtime period, one where the Knicks would eventually ice their triumph.
Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks’ head coach, has been preaching his team’s resilience all year long.
“This team has fought all year, and been a pretty good road team,” – Tom Thibodeau
Meanwhile, the Celtics will aim to bounce back in Game Two, which is scheduled for 19:00 local time (00:00 Thursday BST) in Boston on Wednesday. Coach Joe Mazzulla noted the need for improvement, stating:
“There’s detail stuff that we have to be better at.” – Joe Mazzulla
Over in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Denver Nuggets in yet another riveting contest. To the surprise of many, the top-seeded Thunder lost by a razor-thin margin at home, falling 121-119. All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another masterpiece for Oklahoma City, pouring in 33 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists brilliance.
The Nuggets, inspired by Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon, came back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead. Aaron Gordon contributed significantly with 22 points and 14 rebounds, helping propel Denver to a 1-0 advantage in their best-of-seven series.
Mark Daigneault, head coach of the Thunder, summed up his team’s performance perfectly.
“I didn’t think our execution was as clean as it can be. But we’ll learn from it. It’s a series.” – Mark Daigneault
Game Two of their series will take place at 21:30 local time (03:30 Thursday BST) in Oklahoma on Wednesday. With each of those series still in progress, teams will seek to regroup and pivot tactics for the next round against one another.
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