On Saturday night, the New York Knicks (34-23) hosted the Boston Celtics (45-12) at the Madison Square Garden. The Celts had won seven consecutive games, and the Knicks had snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory in Philly on Thursday. Boston is tops in the league; New York, fourth in the Eastern Conference. The stage was set for an exciting primetime game on ABC.
The shooting was sweet through the first half, with the Celts and the Knicks combining to hit 48-of-82 from the field. Boston attacked the paint, but the Knicks won the glass and were down only 62-58 at intermission.