For the third time in as many games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics were able to get out to a 20-point lead against the Knicks in Game 3. For the first time in the series, they were able to sustain that large margin.
Boston buried New York, 115-93, in Saturday’s Game 3, controlling much of the game to get its first win of the series and silence the noise that had surrounded the team since its Game 2 loss. Unlike the first two games, the Celtics got their first 20-point lead in Game 3 in the first half, holding a 36-20 edge at the end of the first quarter before taking a 25-point lead into halftime.