The visiting Boston Celtics took down the New York Knicks, 119 - 114, in a classic Christmas rivalry matchup at Madison Square Garden. Boston (18 - 13) has heated up since the return of star point guard Isaiah Thomas, and is now 5 - 1 in its last six games. The Celtics are now 12 - 7 on the road, having won more road games than any other team in the Eastern Conference. On Sunday, the Celtics staved off a late comeback effort from the Knicks. With the game tied and under a minute to go, guard Marcus Smart hit a clutch three - pointer from the corner to take the lead. Smart had a terrific game off the bench, scoring 15 points on 5 - of - 9 shooting and dishing out seven assists. Boston doubled down on the defensive end, with a clutch steal from shooting guard Avery Bradley and a game - ending block from All-Star center Al Horford. Horford finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks. Thomas, the Celtics' leader in scoring average, led the team once again with 27 points. New York (16 - 14), meanwhile, made a valiant comeback in the last three minutes of the game. The Knicks went on a 16 - 3 run to tie the game after trailing by double digits. Much of the comeback was due to the play of star forward Carmelo Anthony, who had 22 points in the second half. Despite the clutch play, Melo ended up committing a costly crunch - time turnover when switched onto Avery Bradley. Sophomore big man Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points and 12 rebounds, while point guard Derrick Rose contributed 25. The Cavs will visit Detroit on Monday, while Golden State will host Toronto on Wednesday.
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 "PlayerStat(G,'Kristaps Porzingis') has 22 Assists ,has 12 Field goals attempted ."
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