Knicks Struggle in Game 5 Loss to Celtics

BOSTON — The New York Knicks faced a tough challenge on Wednesday night, losing to the Boston Celtics 127-102 in Game 5 of their playoff series at TD Garden. Both OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges struggled significantly, scoring just 15 points combined on an alarming 5-for-26 shooting.

Anunoby had a particularly rough performance, shooting only 1-for-12. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau pointed to defensive issues that affected their offensive game. ‘The issue was the defense. To start the third, we got in a hole and tried to get on track,’ Thibodeau said. ‘You gotta get some stops so that you can get into the open floor.’

Bridges echoed his coach’s sentiments, stating, ‘I think it’s more us not getting stops. Pretty much just worried about not getting stops out there.’ Despite having a strong start with seven points in the first quarter, Bridges finished the game with only nine points and missed seven of his next eight attempts.

The Knicks now find themselves needing to regroup to bounce back in this series. Anunoby has been notably inconsistent during these playoffs, particularly in scoring. This game marked the third time in the series that he has scored six or fewer points, and he shot a dismal 4-for-27 in those outings.

Defensively, Anunoby struggled to contain Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, who had 26 points on 9-for-17 shooting. The Knicks now look to find a way to address these defensive lapses moving forward.