Knicks come from 20 points down to take Game 2 from Celtics in Boston

The New York Knicks surprised on Wednesday by once again beating the NBA champion Boston Celtics 91-90 to take a 2-0 lead in this Eastern Conference semifinals.

A block by Mikal Bridges was key in securing this new Knicks victory at TD Garden in Boston.

As had happened in the first game, on Monday, Bridges became a figure by preventing the Celtics' winning basket.

Then it was a steal over Jaylen Brown, and today a spectacular block on Jayson Tatum with two seconds left.

"I'm glad we found a way to win," Knicks star Jalen Brunson said after the game. "We're going to keep fighting. We want to stay focused on us. We're taking it one game at a time, and now it's time to focus on Game 3."

Brunson went to the free throw line with 13 seconds to play and scored both attempts after a foul by Jrue Holiday.

The Knicks captain finished with 17 points, seven assists, and three rebounds.

Meanwhile, the duel between Dominicans was dominated by Karl-Anthony Towns, of New York, with a double-double of 21 points and 17 rebounds, against four points and four rebounds by Al Horford for the champion Celtics, who were left on the ropes with this second home loss in a row.

Celtics squander 20-point lead

Down the stretch, the Celtics missed 14 consecutive shots.

The Knicks took advantage, entering on a 21-4 run and taking command of the scoreboard for the first time with 1:58 minutes to play in the final quarter.

The Knicks were down by as many as 20 points.

"You have to find a way to have an impact on the game in a positive way," said Josh Hart, with 23 points the Knicks' leading scorer. "Those are plays that inspire your teammates, we all tried and we have all the confidence to define the game in the final seconds."

Now, Boston will have to fight the stats to bounce back. NBA history indicates that 85.7 percent of teams with a 2-0 lead in a playoff series advance to the next round.

"They made every play," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla commented. "They took advantage and made the plays to win."

"We have to find ways to be better for 48 minutes; we understand it's going to be tough, but we have no choice but to be better," he added.

Derrick White and Jaylen Brown were Boston's top scorers with 20 points apiece.

"In both games we've been up by 20 points and didn't win," Jaylen Brown mentioned. "This will hurt for the rest of the night, but tomorrow is a new day, and our focus needs to be on Game 3."

The Celtics will kick off Saturday's comeback attempt in the first of two consecutive games at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York.