Game 3: Celtics Win in New York, 115-93

 

Boston took an early lead, going up by as many as 25 points in the first half.  But after blowing two 20-point leads in the Garden last week, today, nothing felt safe, although today the Celtics were able to hold on and win by 22 points.

The Celtics have apparently learned from their mistakes and improved their three-point shooting and rebounding. They went 12-for-19 on threes in the first half, and finished at 50% (20-40) from downtown. 

Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 23 points, with Tatum right behind him at 22. 

The Celtics still trail the Knicks in the series, 1-2, and have to win again in Manhattan on Sunday. But Big Picture: they now have 5 of the 16 wins they need to reclaim the NBA title, and have given up only three of the 12 losses they can absorb on the road to a repeat championship. 

Today was an early start (3:30 pm), but Monday's will be an evening game (7:30).