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On Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics found themselves on the brink of elimination heading into Game 5 of their second-round matchup against the New York Knicks. Finding themselves down 3-1 and without Jayson Tatum for the foreseeable future after he sustained a torn Achilles, the Celtics looked like they were dead in the water even though Game 5 was at home. But they are the reigning champion for a reason, and they showed it by staving off elimination with a 127-102 victory.
It was a given that the likes of Jaylen Brown and Derrick White had to produce so that the Celtics could live to see another day. Brown put up an excellent all-around effort, his best in this year's playoffs, by recording 26 points, eight rebounds, and 12 assists, while White led all scorers with 34 points. But it was the improbable contributions from Luke Kornet that truly changed the flow of the game, with Kornet coming off the bench to tally 10 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks.
Brown was the Celtics' rock all night long and Kornet provided the spark that got Boston across the finish line, allowing them to survive and force a Game 6 back in New York. And the roster's elder statesman, Al Horford, couldn't be any prouder of his boys after their heroics in Game 5.
Al Horford is so visibly proud of Jaylen Brown and Luke Kornet pic.twitter.com/OzSN5dnYxX
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) May 15, 2025
The Celtics will need more of their bench players to come out of nowhere and change the game in Boston's favor if they were to build off of their Game 5 win and complete the 3-1 comeback. This win should give the reigning champions the confidence that they can pull off the unthinkable and make Tatum even prouder with their resilience after their best player's debilitating injury.
Celtics run away from Knicks with stellar second half in Game 5 win
The Celtics and Knicks were locked into such a close affair in the first half of Game 5, but then something clicked for Boston after the halftime interval, particularly on defense. Luke Kornet was a force to be reckoned with, as he deterred many would-be attempts from the Knicks in the paint while swatting his fair share of shots as well.
Jaylen Brown embracing first-option duties was a sight to behold; his playmaking was on point, as this was his first time all year recording double-digit assists. In fact, his 12 dimes was a career-high, and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time with the team missing Jayson Tatum's all-around contributions.
Brown getting into this kind of rhythm is what makes the Celtics a legitimate threat to come back in their series vs. the Knicks even if Tatum is out with injury.
