New York’s Josh Hart has pulled one of the most remarkable – and disrespectful – plays of the season in the Knicks’ 114-98 loss to the Celtics.
The 28-year-old guard was attempting to spark a comeback during the fourth quarter of the clash in Boston when he received the ball on the wing.
With Jrue Holiday closing in, Hart leapt into the air but did not take a shot and realised he could’ve been called for a travel if he continued on.
Watch an average of 9 NBA Regular Season games per week LIVE on ESPN, available via Kayo. Join Kayo now and start streaming instantly >
So he instead bounced the ball off Holiday’s back – as you’ll sometimes see during an in-bounds play – then regathered the ball before shooting and draining the three.
However overall, the Knicks hung around until the circumstances dragged them down.
Against the odds versus the cream of the Eastern Conference, New York was overrun down the stretch by the Celtics, snapping its three-game winning streak because Jayson Tatum (35 points, 17 in the fourth quarter) is a bona fide MVP candidate.
The game’s pivotal sequence occurred with about eight minutes remaining, when the Knicks cut their deficit to three.
Then Josh Hart jumped into a jump-shooting Tatum on the following possession, giving the Celtics a four-point play.
Tom Thibodeau’s squad (5-5) never recovered.
Until further notice, the Knicks are a step below the championship contenders.
Daniels scores career high 17 points | 01:07
To be fair, they were playing without RJ Barrett, arguably the team’s best player to start the campaign — and definitely its most consistent.
He had a migraine and never made it to the Knicks’ bench.
Monday was also the second game of a back-to-back, with the Knicks traveling to Beantown after blasting the Hornets on Sunday at MSG.
So it had the trappings of a schedule loss and — despite Julius Randle declaring “we owe them one” a night earlier — the Knicks obliged by allowing Boston’s high-octane offense to ignite in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks were outscored in the final eight minutes, 23-10, losing to the Celtics (8-2) for the second time this season.
The good news is the five-game road trip, which started here, gets much easier. The next opponents — the Hawks, Wizards, Hornets and Timberwolves — are a step down.
There are also no more back-to-backs on the trip.
Hart started in Barrett’s spot and Thibodeau resisted adding a new player to the rotation, meaning only eight appeared (until garbage time) and the starters logged heavy minutes.
Hart had 16 points in 43 minutes. Randle finished with 25 points on 7 of 19 shooting in 38 minutes.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 26 points, but only six in the fourth quarter.
Kristaps Porzingis (21 points) and Jaylen Brown (22) were also impactful contributors for the Celtics.
This article was originally published at the New York Post and was republished with permission.
BUCKS BLOW AS CROWDER FACES INJURY LAYOFF
– AFP
Milwaukee Bucks power forward Jae Crowder faces a two-month injury layoff after suffering a groin injury, the team confirmed.
Crowder, 33, was injured during Milwaukee’s 112-97 loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday (AEDT), limping out in the third quarter.
The Bucks said Monday that after testing and evaluation, Crowder had been diagnosed with a left adductor and abdominal tear.
“He will undergo surgery tomorrow (Tuesday) and be sidelined for approx eight weeks,” the Bucks said.
The injury comes as a blow to Milwaukee, who have made an uneven start to the NBA season, though they recorded a 118-109 win over Chicago on Tuesday to move to 6-4.
NBA SCORES for November 14
Raptors 111 – Wizards 107
Bucks 118 – Bulls 109
Celtics 114 – Knicks 98
Kings – Cavaliers in progress
