Saturday, March 29, 2025
Celtics Keep Play-Off Hopes Alive by defeating the New York Knicks 127-102 at TD Garden. This victory came as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Golden State Warriors, advancing to the Western Conference final.
Despite trailing 3-1 in the Eastern Conference semi-final series, the reigning champions fought back without star Jayson Tatum. Tatum left game four injured and is recovering from Achilles surgery.
Derrick White led the Celtics with 34 points, including seven three-pointers. Jaylen Brown contributed 26 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds to the win.
Game five is scheduled for Friday in New York at 8 pm local time (Saturday 1 am BST).
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said, “We made winning plays on both ends of the floor. They made enough plays to win – gave us another chance to play.”
The Timberwolves defeated the Warriors 121-110 at Target Center in Minneapolis to win their series 4-1. Julius Randle scored 29 points, while Anthony Edwards added 22 points and 12 assists.
Minnesota will face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference final. The Thunder currently lead that series 3-2.
Randle said, “It’s great. We’ve had a season full of adversity. Our coach said we stuck together through everything. I’m proud of everyone who stepped up. We’ve got to keep going.”
The Warriors have not won since losing star Stephen Curry to a hamstring injury in game one.
Coach Steve Kerr noted, “Injuries are part of the play-offs. It’s about health and players stepping up with big shots and plays. That decides series.”
He added, “There’s no point dwelling on it. I respect what Minnesota has accomplished.”
