Kristaps Porzingis drilled a go-ahead 30-foot three-pointer with 40 seconds left in overtime, and Jayson Tatum added 32 points as the Boston Celtics outlasted the New York Knicks 119-117 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
Porzingis tied his season high with 34 points, including the decisive shot that capped Boston’s season sweep over New York.
The Celtics improved to 59-20 overall and 33-7 on the road, extending their away winning streak to nine games.
Tatum forced overtime with a pull-up three over OG Anunoby with 2.9 seconds left in regulation after Josh Hart gave the Knicks a 107-104 lead with 11 seconds remaining.
New York chose not to foul on the final possession of the fourth quarter despite Boston being the most prolific three-point shooting team in NBA history this season.
The Celtics capitalized by tying the game and carried that momentum into the extra period.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 34 points and 14 rebounds, while Jalen Brunson posted 27 points and nine assists in just his second game back from a 15-game absence due to a sprained right ankle.
The Knicks, now 50-29, hung close throughout after losing the previous three meetings against Boston this season by 23, 27, and 13 points.
Boston’s victory locked them into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, as Cleveland’s win over Chicago clinched the top spot during the game.
Derrick White added 14 points and a team-high nine assists, while Jrue Holiday contributed 16 points and three assists.
Porzingis shot 11-for-19 from the field and went 8-for-13 from beyond the arc, marking his most made threes in a game this season.
Tatum logged 47 minutes and went 11-for-22 overall, with four made threes and seven rebounds.
The Celtics shot 46% from the field and made 19 three-pointers on 49 attempts.
Boston also converted 80% of its free throws and committed 15 turnovers compared to New York’s 11.
For the Knicks, Towns finished 14-for-21 from the floor, while Brunson shot 10-for-21 and made five three-pointers.
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges combined for 27 points, but shot a combined 2-for-11 from deep.
Josh Hart had 10 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists but was held scoreless from the foul line and missed all four of his three-point attempts.
New York shot 47.5% overall but only 28.9% from beyond the arc, converting 11 of their 38 long-range attempts.
The Knicks had a 52-38 rebounding advantage, including 17 offensive boards, but shot just 62.5% from the free-throw line.
New York, which remains in third place in the East, missed a chance to inch closer to the No. 2 seed and may face a tougher playoff path after the loss.
The Celtics will close the regular season with three of their final games at home, already preparing for a first-round matchup as the conference’s No. 2 seed.
