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United States. The New York Knicks, with Karl-Anthony Towns, starred in a 108-105 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics of Al Horford. The game, held at the TD Garden in Boston, marked the start of the Eastern Conference semifinals series and the first playoff matchup between two Dominican players in NBA history.
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The Knicks overcame a 20-point deficit to tie the score in regulation. Although Jalen Brunson missed a decisive shot in the final seconds against Horford's staunch defense, the New York team prevailed 8-5 in overtime to seal the victory.
Karl-Anthony Towns, despite dealing with foul trouble during the game, finished with a valuable double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds in 31 minutes. Horford, coming off the bench for Boston, added 7 points, 7 rebounds, and a block in 33 minutes of action.
This historic clash marks a before and after for the Dominican representation in the NBA, being the first time that two players from the country face each other in a postseason series.
The Knicks, offensively led by Brunson and OG Anunoby, managed to overcome a Celtics team that arrived as favorites, but had an off night from the three-point line, making only 15 of 60 attempts (25%).
Boston had 23 points from Jayson Tatum and another 23 from Jaylen Brown, but the partial absence of starting center Kristaps Porzingis —limited to only 13 minutes— affected the home team's strategy.
The second game of this best-of-seven series will be played this Wednesday, again at TD Garden, where the Celtics will seek to tie the series against a Knicks team motivated by their feat.
