The Celtics survived a wild night at TD Garden on Tuesday, shaking off an early lull and powering past the Knicks for a 123-117 win. After hovering at-or-below .500 much of this season, Boston has climbed its way to 12-9 with the victory, while New York slipped to 13-7 after watching a sizable early advantage disappear.

The Knicks controlled the opening stretch, splashing a string of threes and building a 14-point cushion midway through the second quarter. But once Boston settled in, the momentum flipped fast.

The Celtics ripped off a dominant 33-13 surge to close the half, turning a double-digit deficit into a six-point lead behind a brilliant burst from Jaylen Brown, who exploded for 18 points in the second period alone.

Boston’s offense stayed in high gear after halftime, pouring in 36 third-quarter points and stretching the lead to 18. New York did punch back, trimming the deficit to three late in the fourth, but never managed to reclaim control. The Celtics steadied themselves in the final minutes to put the game away.

Brown spearheaded the effort with a season-best 42 points, shooting 16 for 24 in one of his most efficient outings of the year. Derrick White added 22 points and 5 assists.

With that win, Boston is now 3-1 over their last four games - the start of an 11-game stretch in which 10 games are against teams with playoff aspirations (yes, I’m still including the Bucks until they trade Giannis).

The one game in that stretch in which Boston doesn’t play a “good” team is on Thursday, as they head down to the nation’s capital to take on the Wizards (3-17).

Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards Information

Game Date: December 4, 2025
Game Time: 7:00 PM ET
TV Channel: NBC Sports Boston (Boston) & Monumental Sports Network (Washington, D.C.)
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub (Boston) & 106.7 The Fan (Washington, D.C.)
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Live Stream: Fubo & NBA League Pass

Missed any of Tuesday night’s win over New York? Here were some takeaways:

Boston’s young, versatile wings again delivered in meaningful moments.

Hugo Gonzalez logged 22 hard-nosed minutes, even holding his own on possessions against the much bigger Towns.

Josh Minott (11 points, 6 rebounds) shifted seamlessly between assignments, including stretches defending Jalen Brunson on the perimeter.

Jordan Walsh was crucial in crunch time, contributing 8 points and 6 boards.

Their length and defensive activity were difference-makers throughout.If this group of rotational wings can play at this high a level moving forward, Boston has the opportunity to make real noise in the postseason. Full stop.

Here’s what Mazzulla said postgame but Walsh and Minott:

“Yeah, it was an evolution for both Jordan and Josh. I mean, they went to doubling Jaylen, insane. So you know, they did a good job catching the ball on the scene and just making two on one reads. So it starts with you know Jaylen’s ability to trust his teammates, and then it goes to Jordan and Josh’s evolution of just understanding they’re being guarded by different matchups throughout the game.

“I mean they switched between Towns, [Mitchell] Robinson and [Jalen] Brunson on both of those guys throughout the game. And it can be difficult to just have an understanding of what the screen is at that time, what the spacing is. Both those guys did a good job down the stretch of just kind of executing versus the proper coverage versus the proper spacing. So you know, the trust there by the team and then the execution by those guys getting better.”

The Knicks looked finished when the deficit ballooned, but they battled back in the fourth.

Still, Boston never surrendered the lead, with multiple defenders rotating onto Brunson and holding him to a rough 6 for 21 shooting night.

The Celtics made enough plays in the final possessions to secure yet another nail-biter in what qualifies as a clutch game.

Basically since he arrived in New York, Brunson has owned these ”clutch” moments, but he wasn’t so lucky on Tuesday at TD Garden.

While Neemias Queta started and logged 21 minutes, Boston leaned heavily into its small-ball looks, given that New York plays a little bit more of a stretch/undersized game.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla continued experimenting with quicker, switch-heavy lineups, including multiple stretches with Minott at center - something I theorized could be in the mix as a rotation option at some point during the preseason.

Those units held up defensively and helped close the game effectively.

Kudos to Mazzulla for having the magic touch in this regard tonight. His lineups remain inconsistent on a nightly basis, and that might just be something we have to get used to with a quarter of the season under our belt.

After a quiet, turnover-filled first quarter, Brown ignited and never cooled.

Dominant inside the arc and decisive with the ball, he notched his 11th 30-plus-point game in just 21 outings - and his fourth such effort in five games.

He’s reaffirming his role as Boston’s top scorer night after night, yet went on to say postgame that he still has a lot to learn in this role.

“I’m still learning and growing, to be honest,” said Brown. “I take information and apply it to the next game. Obviously, this year I have more responsibility. Our responsibility hasn’t been the same in the past. So this year I’m in a new position and I’m still figuring it out.

“So I just take what the defense gives me. Learning when to be aggressive, learning when to get off the ball - it’s all stuff that I’m still getting better at every game.”

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.