NBA 2018-19: 3 talking points from Boston Celtics' blowout win over New York Knicks
The New York Knicks had just defeated the Boston Celtics on their home court a little more than two weeks ago, and it would be fair to say that Boston were going through a pretty rough patch early on in the season. The Thanksgiving eve loss to New York was the lowest point of their nightmarish start to the 2018-19 season.
"I was thinking about it since we lost to them," Kyrie Irving said yesterday. "I remember players from other teams asking about what's going on when we were 10-10."
But they got their revenge this time around.
Boston's offensive machinery worked smoothly right from the tip-off, and left no room for error for the visitors as they coasted to 128-100 blowout win.
Let's take a look at a few key takeaways from this redemptive run by the Celtics.
#3 Kyrie Irving dropped a game-high 22 points, left the game early
Irving was not ready to be handed a second loss at the hands of the Knicks in two weeks. He dropped a game-high 22 points in just 30 minutes of playtime before heading out a bit early.
He rubbed his right shoulder and swung it around in pain, eventually asking Brad Stevens to sub him out. His shoulder was then wrapped in ice and he left with just about 4 minutes left in the already-decided game.
"It was just a weird play at the end of the game. It was like I got caught up and as I was trying to get the ball out to Marcus for 3, it just caught me weird in the shoulder. So probably AC joint or something like that. I'll be alright," Irving said after the match.
He finished with a near double-double of 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting, in addition to eight assists.
From another perspective, Irving's performance against the Knicks could put him even higher on the Knicks' wish-list for the next summer when he becomes a free-agent (if he doesn't re-sign with the Celtics).