NBA roundup: New York Knicks claim key win over Boston Celtics to keep playoff hopes alive

[p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-york-knicks/WCNO4nbt/"]tight Knicks[/a] victory [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/boston-celtics-KYD9hVEm/new-york-knicks-WCNO4nbt/?mid=YyJ5IUKt"]in a playoff-style atmosphere at Madison Square Garden[/a] puts New York two wins behind rival [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/boston-celtics/KYD9hVEm/"]Boston[/a], with just two regular season games remaining.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hart-josh/Cjknv7yj/"]Hart[/a] top-scored with 26 points, including a pair of clutch three-pointers in the game's final minute that took an evenly poised game out of the Celtics' reach.[/p][p]In a twisty game that featured 16 lead changes, Knicks superstar [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brunson-jalen/YLRvL3v7/"]Brunson[/a] provided another standout performance, including 25 points and 10 assists.[/p][p]Asked about teammate Hart, Brunson joked: "[b]I don't want to say anything too good about him right now, but he played really well.[/b]"[/p][p]"[b]We kept coming back and finding a way[/b]," Brunson added.[/p][embed guid="5561ac4c-d22a-46ea-8716-e6b25fc506ae" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2042447554235817988?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The No. 2 spot means home-court advantage through to the Eastern semifinals.[/p][p]The Knicks would have the tie-break advantage if the two teams finish level, due to a superior head-to-head.[/p][p]Thursday's win also gives the Knicks a one-win cushion over the chasing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cleveland-cavaliers/xGk13Tb6/"]Cleveland Cavaliers[/a].[/p][p]In a possible preview of the Eastern playoffs' second round, a back-and-forth first half featured 10 lead changes, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pritchard-payton/SWoc4GBt/"]Payton Pritchard[/a] and Brunson scoring freely at opposite ends.[/p][p]After the break, the Knicks quickly opened up a 13-point lead. Yet they found themselves trailing at the end of the third quarter, as the Celtics rallied with seven three-pointers, including six from the bench.[/p][p]The Celtics' [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scheierman-baylor/8rg1TAMq/"]Baylor Scheierman[/a] was particularly potent from behind the arc, sinking his fifth and sixth three-pointers of the night to put Boston up 104-103 with barely two minutes left.[/p][p]But a Hart layup and a Brunson free throw restored the Knicks' lead, before Hart finished the game off.[/p][p]On an emotional return to the fabled Manhattan arena where he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon nearly a year ago, Boston star [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tatum-jayson/t4Y4e7r0/"]Jayson Tatum[/a] top-scored for the Celtics, with 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.[/p][p]Tatum has defied the odds to return this season, making his debut last month with the Celtics in the thick of the playoff race.[/p][p]Trailing conference champions the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/detroit-pistons/UcjMRj6J/"]Detroit Pistons[/a], Boston remain the favorites to clinch second, with games Friday against the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-orleans-pelicans/U3yc9SkP/"]New Orleans Pelicans[/a] and Sunday against the Magic.[/p][p]But they may have to secure the spot without fellow star [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brown-jaylen/l88NjhUb/"]Jaylen Brown[/a], who missed Thursday's clash with Achilles tendinitis.[/p][h2]Playoff race[/h2][p]Elsewhere, the incredibly tight race for the Eastern Conference's final guaranteed playoff spots took yet more twists Thursday.[/p][p]The top six automatically progress to the post-season, while teams finishing seventh to tenth must enter a knockout play-in tournament next week to join them.[/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/toronto-raptors/CxtbCMdU/"]Toronto Raptors[/a], boosted by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ingram-brandon/jJ12C7e8/"]Brandon Ingram[/a]'s 38 points, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/miami-heat-CQ7AXnT5/toronto-raptors-CxtbCMdU/?mid=693T2Ryg"]gained a valuable 128-114 win[/a] over the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/miami-heat/CQ7AXnT5/"]Miami Heat[/a], rising from sixth to fifth.[/p][embed guid="17ecf0fa-08f8-4d1d-922b-a9f176c81734" url="https://x.com/NBA/status/2042427634114514960?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]It leaves both the Raptors and the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/atlanta-hawks/xAO4gBas/"]Atlanta Hawks[/a] one win clear of the in-form [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/orlando-magic/QZMS36Dn/"]Orlando Magic[/a] - who have won their past four in a row.[/p][p]But the eighth-placed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/philadelphia-76ers/vwRW2QSh/"]Philadelphia 76ers[/a] saw their own playoff hopes fade as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/houston-rockets-Sr9PQALP/philadelphia-76ers-vwRW2QSh/?mid=t2MDG8kg"]they fell 113-102[/a] to the red-hot [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/houston-rockets/Sr9PQALP/"]Houston Rockets[/a], who claimed an eighth consecutive victory.[/p][p]And fans in the West were denied a match-up between the two biggest NBA stars of the past decade, as the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/golden-state-warriors/SxUtXqch/"]Golden State Warriors[/a] rested [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/curry-stephen/xx3787qL/"]Stephen Curry[/a] for medical reasons against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/james-lebron/nuIVxFJk/"]LeBron James[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-lakers/ngegZ8bg/"]Los Angeles Lakers[/a].[/p][p]Facing the play-ins next week, the Warriors opted to give an extra recovery day to superstar Curry, who had only recently returned from a 27-game knee injury absence.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/basketball/usa/nba/"]Follow all of the NBA action as the regular season nears its end on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]