Before Sunday’s 111-89 loss to the Knicks, the Celtics had been 7-1 when playing on a Patriots Super Bowl Sunday.
According to statistician Dick Lipe, the lone loss came in 2015, when the Celtics scored just 75 points against the Heat. Later that night, however, the Patriots rallied to earn a thrilling, 28-24, triumph over the Seahawks. Time will tell if history repeats itself, yet it’s an interesting trend to monitor nonetheless.
Here are 10 takeaways as the Knicks deprived the Celtics of their cementing sixth consecutive victory.
This was one of those games where living and dying by the 3 can sometimes yield a slow and painful death.
The Celtics shot 7 of 41 (17 percent) from distance, posting a season low in points, field-goal percentage (37), 3-point percentage and 3-pointers. Some of the looks just didn’t fall, some were ill-advised attempts and the Knicks certainly deserve plenty of credit for bothering the Celtics with their length.
There’s no denying it. Jalen Brunson (31 points, eight assists) is one tough dude, and he’s in his element as the head of the snake for the Knicks.
Brunson set the tone early with 15 points and four assists in the first quarter alone. He was average after that, but the damage had been done.
The Knicks may have made a major theft of their own by snatching Jose Alvarado. He gives New York a different look to accompany Landry Shamet and is a true terror defensively. When he hits shots, watch out.
Baylor Scheierman was a bright spot for Boston, as he posted 10 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and five assists in the loss.
Scheierman is averaging 10 rebounds per game in his last four contests and is starting to showcase the versatility that made him special in college.
At his core, Scheierman is someone who can make plays, hit shots, battle on the glass, defend at a high level and use his basketball IQ to spearhead runs. He’s starting to do that all at once more consistently.
Nikola Vucevic had a pretty average game, with 11 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes, but it’s still worth taking a closer look at his performance.
The Celtics are really making a conscious effort to look for him in the paint, which is exactly what they should do. Vucevic commands so much attention and is a very skilled passer out of the post.
The chemistry is already there, and it will continue to grow in the coming months as he makes life easier for shooters like Payton Pritchard and Derrick White.
Derrick White contributed 19 points and four assists to go with Jaylen Brown’s team-high 26 points. This was White’s first game shooting 50 percent or better (7 of 14) since late January.
He’s still managed to affect the game in other ways, from shot-blocking to pace-setting, but perhaps he can use this performance as a springboard to bolster his shooting splits.
The Celtics scored 3 points off turnovers against the Knicks, marking their lowest total since 2021.
The Knicks, meanwhile, scored 16 fast-break points and got plenty of easy looks. It was one of those games where the Celtics had to work hard for everything and the Knicks seemed to generate high-quality attempts at will.
The Celtics missed Sam Hauser (low back spasms) in this one and could have used his spacing and shooting. Anfernee Simons also would have helped (it was still a good move).
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla mixed and matched, turning to Ron Harper Jr., Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh and more, but nothing worked for extended stretches.
The Celtics are now 1-2 against the Knicks this season, with both losses coming by double digits. After sweeping the regular-season series last year, they’re just a combined 3-6 in playoff and regular-season games since.
It’s enough of a sample size where it’s fair to be a bit concerned if they meet again. The Knicks are a difficult matchup for the Celtics because of their combination of size, shooting, speed and star power.
It’s just one game, and in a long season, duds like this are going to happen. An important stretch before the All-Star Game awaits, with games against the Bulls on Wednesday and Warriors on Thursday.
The Celtics have still won five of six and 10 of 14. No need to panic.
