Knicks Defeat Celtics As Jayson Tatum Returns To MSG In His First Return Game

The New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers all strengthened their positions with key wins, as Jalen Brunson, Kevin Durant and LeBron James delivered standout displays on a busy NBA night that featured major playoff implications and injury storylines across both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

Josh Hart powered a late surge at Madison Square Garden, scoring 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics 112-106 and stayed in contention for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, while Jayson Tatum produced an all-around performance on his return.

The Knicks improved to 52-28 and moved within two games of the 54-26 Celtics for second place in the East, with both teams having two regular-season games remaining, and New York now holding the tiebreaker after clinching the season series 3-1 against Boston.

Because of that tiebreaker, the Knicks can claim the No. 2 seed if they win their final two games and the Celtics lose both, which would also give New York more victories under coach Mike Brown than the 51-31 record achieved in Tom Thibodeau's final season in charge.

Hart’s two late 3-pointers in the final 42 seconds sealed the result, while Brunson added 25 points and 10 assists as New York again frustrated Boston, a team the Knicks eliminated in the second round of last season’s playoffs when Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during Game 4 of that series.

Tatum, now back from that serious injury, recorded 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in this latest visit to Madison Square Garden, and described feeling nerves and anxiety before tipoff, then fell just short of a second triple-double since returning to action last month.

The Celtics had their four-game winning streak halted while playing without leading scorer Jaylen Brown, who is averaging 28.8 points this season and missed the contest because of left Achilles tendinitis, forcing Boston to lean heavily on Tatum’s playmaking and rebounding in Brown’s absence.

In Houston, Durant led the Rockets with 29 points in a 113-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, stretching Houston’s winning streak to eight games as the team, already assured of a postseason place, continued to battle Denver and the Lakers for Western Conference playoff seeding.

The 76ers played without Joel Embiid, who underwent an appendectomy in Houston after developing appendicitis overnight, and the franchise confirmed that Embiid will be out indefinitely, a major blow for a team still fighting to secure a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson each contributed 19 points for the Rockets, providing strong support for Durant on offence, while Tyrese Maxey scored 23 points and VJ Edgecombe added 21 for Philadelphia, which dropped its third straight game and slipped into a tie with Charlotte for eighth place in the East.

NBA spotlight on LeBron as Lakers beat Warriors

LeBron James posted 26 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds as the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 119-103, yet missed the chance to share the court with long-time rival Stephen Curry, who was rested for the first leg of a home-road back-to-back.

James shot 11-for-17 from the field and hit three 3-pointers, briefly leaving the game after appearing to jam a hand while blocking a shot by Pat Spencer with 6:05 left in the third quarter, adding another physical moment to a 23-year NBA career at age 41.

Curry, three years younger than James, had only just returned from a right knee injury that sidelined the guard for 27 games over more than two months, and Golden State chose not to risk playing Curry on consecutive nights, especially with the team already locked into the No. 10 seed and headed on the road for the Western Conference play-in tournament.

Across the league, the Knicks closed ground on Boston, the Rockets strengthened their winning run despite Embiid’s absence for Philadelphia, and the Lakers moved forward with James still central to their hopes, while Curry’s careful management reflected Golden State’s focus on the upcoming play-in tournament.