It was always going to be an uphill battle after the Celtics fell behind 3-1 in the series. That climb became even steeper with the devastating news that Jayson Tatum had ruptured his right Achilles. Despite a strong Game 5 win over New York in Boston, the Celtics couldn’t finish the job on the road, losing to the Knicks 119-81.
Boston started Game 6 on their back foot, opening with two turnovers and three missed shots. Jaylen Brown finally got the Celtics on the board with a straightaway three-pointer just over nine minutes into the first quarter. A Jrue Holiday steal led to a Brown layup that gave Boston its first lead, 5–4, at the 8:36 mark.