The Celtics lost another game after a big Knicks comeback on Wednesday — and dropped into a 0-2 series hole in the process.
Boston once again got out to an early lead, but New York whittled it away and picked up a huge 91-90 win in Game 2 of the series. The Celtics now head to Game 3 at Madison Square Garden in a must-win situation.
Boston looked like it was grooving early in Game 2, but it ended up going ice cold from the field down the stretch. With about 1:45 left in the game, the Celtics had missed 12 consecutive shots.
Star forward Jayson Tatum contributed to that drought, as he once again struggled from the floor like he did in Game 1.
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Tatum did score Boston’s final four points in the final minute, as he made two free throws to pull Boston within a point before throwing down a monster dunk to put the Celtics up one with 18 seconds left, firing up the home crowd. However, New York’s Jalen Brunson was fouled with 12 seconds left and made both free throws.
Down one, Tatum tried driving the lane to attempt the game-winner. He went left near the basket before doing a spinning jump pass after drawing the defense. Mikal Bridges was all over it, though, forcing a turnover and effectively ending the game.
THE KNICKS TAKE BOTH GAMES IN BOSTON 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Te0l8dvpKC
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) May 8, 2025
Here is more on Tatum’s performance in Game 2.
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Jayson Tatum Game 2 stats vs. Knicks
- 42 minutes
- 13 points
- 14 rebounds
- 5 assists
- 3 steals
- 1 block
- 3 turnovers
- 5-19 FG
- 1-5 3FG
- 2-2 FT
The stats alone don’t tell the full story. Tatum had three turnovers in the game, but none was as big as the final one that lost the game. If he had gotten the pass to the top of the key to Jaylen Brown as he intended, the guard would have been completely wide open with a chance to win the game.
Instead, the fourth quarter woes for Tatum continued. Even though he had a double-double in the game and his 14 rebounds look impressive, his shooting percentage was awful. So far this series, Tatum is just 1-11 in the fourth quarter. He has six total points including free throws and is 0-9 from beyond the arc in the final frame of the first two games.
If Boston is going to be able to counter and pick up a required when in New York, Tatum is going to have to play more consistently.
Jayson Tatum 2025 playoff stats
1st Round vs. Magic
| Game | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG (%) | 3FG (%) | FT (%) |
| 1 | 40 | 17 | 14 | 4 | 8-22 (36.4%) | 1-8 12.5% | 0-4 0.0% |
| 2 | 39 | 36 | 9 | 4 | 10-22 (45.5%) | 4-10 (40.0%) | 12-12 (100%) |
| 3 | 42 | 37 | 14 | 3 | 10-25 (40.0%) | 3-10 (30.0%) | 14-14 (100%) |
| 4 | 34 | 35 | 8 | 10 | 10-16 (62.5%) | 4-5 (80.0%) | 11-11 (100%) |
2nd round vs. Knicks
| Game | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG (%) | 3FG (%) | FT (%) |
| 1 | 44 | 23 | 16 | 6 | 7-23 (30.4%) | 4-15 (26.7%) | 5-7 (71.4%) |
| 2 | 42 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 5-19 (26.3%) | 1-5 (20.0%) | 2-2 (100%) |
Tatum has struggled shooting consistently the entire postseason. He shot 45.2% from the field in the regular season and only noticeably bettered that in one game in the series against Orlando. Tatum has done a great job on the boards compared to the regular season, but that hasn’t been able to help get Boston any wins in this series. He averaged 31.3 points per game in the first-round series and has 36 combined points through two games against the Knicks.
