Celtics Too Much For Knicks, NBA Scores

The Celtics toughened up their defense and were simply too tough for the Knicks.

Isaiah Thomas had 20 points and eight assists, and Boston wore down New York in a 97-89 victory on Tuesday night.

Jae Crowder and Tyler Zeller each added 16 points, while reserves Evan Turner and Kelly Olynyk were also in double figures as the Celtics were fresher and sharper in dominating the final 15 minutes.

"Eventually we started wearing them down playing great defense, and we got stops and turned them into buckets," Turner said.

Turner had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Olynyk scored 13 points in the Celtics' sixth victory in seven games.

"In the second half we did a better job in a lot of ways from a physicality standpoint and I thought we got them off the glass," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.

Carmelo Anthony had 16 points and 14 rebounds but shot just 4 for 16 in the Knicks' sixth loss in seven games. Robin Lopez added 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Arron Afflalo ended a shooting slump with 18 points but had some careless turnovers.

"We just couldn't find a combination of guys that could sustain on both ends," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said.

The Celtics had scored at least 110 points in six straight games but the offense wasn't there in this one -- they missed all 13 3-point attempts in the first half -- so they turned to their defense after losing 119-114 to Orlando on Sunday. They held the Knicks to 37.8 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers -- well, some actually didn't look forced at all.

Tuesday, Feburary 2 Scoreboard

Boston 97, New York 89
    
Houston 115, Miami 102

Toronto 104, Phoenix 97
    
Portland 107, Milwaukee 95
    
Los Angeles 119, Minnesota 115

Wednesday, February 3 Schedule (All Times Central)

Cleveland at Charlotte, 6 p.m.

Atlanta at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

Detroit at Boston, 6:30 p.m.

Indiana at Brooklyn, 6:30 p.m.

Golden State at Washington, 7 p.m.

Orlando at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.

Miami at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

New Orleans at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

Denver at Utah, 8 p.m.

Chicago at Sacramento, 9 p.m.

Minnesota at Los Angeles, 9:30 p.m.