Madison Square Garden hasn’t been kind to the Knicks lately, proving tougher to win at than venues in Detroit and Boston during the playoffs.
Tom Thibodeau’s squad had a remarkable 20-point comeback victory in Boston, standing tall at 5-0 this spring. However, they’ve struggled at home, falling 1-3 at MSG, including a decisive 115-93 loss to the Celtics on Saturday.
“I don’t really know [why],” said Josh Hart after the game. “It’s great that the fans are coming out and supporting us, and their love definitely doesn’t go unnoticed.” The regular crowd of celebrities and dedicated fans was present right from the start, especially after two exciting wins over the defending champions.
However, the Celtics quickly took control, building a 36-20 lead in the first quarter and outscoring the Knicks beyond the arc, with a whopping 48 points to just six from three-point range overall.
“It’s disappointing to lose, period. Home or away, it’s tough,” Karl Anthony Towns remarked. “You always want to win in front of your fans, but we’ll take wins wherever we can get them. We simply didn’t do enough tonight.” The Knicks are looking to bounce back on their home court Monday night for Game 4. They held a strong 27-14 record at MSG during the regular season, tied for the fourth-best home record in the NBA.
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Coach Tom Thibodeau noted, “Each game has to be seen for what it is. Just because we’re at home doesn’t mean we’ll win. We didn’t put in enough to get the win tonight.”
Mikal Bridges mentioned that “the fans are great, and it should be easier for us at home.” Yet Branson pointed out that this was their first real blowout loss at home, especially after competing hard in two close games against the Pistons.
“I want to emphasize that this is just one loss, not a sign of a bigger issue,” Branson said. “We know we can perform better here; it’s our home court—tonight just wasn’t our night.”
