New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina had a LeBron James moment against the Boston Celtics on Friday night when he chased down Marcus Smart and pinned a block against the backboard on an early defensive highlight for the Frenchman.

The troubled Ntilikina, who has been in and out of head coach David Fizdale's rotation through his two-plus years on the Knicks, has been a defensive savant early into his professional tenure despite having problems finding the bottom of the bucket on offense.

On one of New York's first possessions of the ball game in the first quarter, Smart's steal resulted in Ntilikina playing hustle and heads-up defense, chasing down the fellow versatile guard.

Ntilikina is in line to play more minutes due to the absences of Dennis Smith Jr. (bereavement) and Elfrid Payton (hamstring), two guards that were in front of the third-year man in the depth chart. Ntilikina started for the Knicks for the first time this season in the backcourt alongside rookie RJ Barrett.

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