Knicks down Celtics, boost playoff position

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson kept the New York Knicks in the hunt for second place in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Eastern Conference as they beat the Boston Celtics 112-106 on Thursday.

The tight Knicks victory in a playoff-style atmosphere at Madison Square Garden puts New York two wins behind rival Boston with just two regular-season games remaining.

Hart top-scored with 26 points, including a pair of clutch three-pointers in the final minute that took an evenly poised game out of the Celtics’ reach.

In a match that featured 16 lead changes, Knicks superstar Brunson provided another standout performance, including 25 points and 10 assists.

Asked about teammate Hart, Brunson joked: “I don’t want to say anything too good about him right now, but he played really well.”

“We kept coming back and finding a way,” Brunson added.

The No. 2 spot means home-court advantage through to the Eastern semifinals.

The Knicks would have the tie-break advantage if the two teams finish level, due to a superior head-to-head.

Thursday’s win also gives the Knicks a one-win cushion over the chasing Cleveland Cavaliers.

In a possible preview of the Eastern playoffs second round, a back-and-forth first half featured 10 lead changes, with Payton Pritchard and Brunson scoring freely at opposite ends.