Knicks stay alive in race for No. 2 seed in East, beat Celtics in Tatum's return to MSG

Tatum finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists in his first game back on the Madison Square Garden court where he ruptured his Achilles.

Apr. 10, 2026 at 3:18am

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A fractured, cubist-style painting depicting the action of a basketball game, with players and the court broken down into geometric shapes and planes of color, conveying the intensity and competitiveness of the matchup between the Knicks and Celtics.The Knicks' hard-fought victory over the Celtics keeps the race for the second seed in the East wide open, with both teams jockeying for position heading into the playoffs.New Orleans Today

The New York Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics 112-106 in a crucial Eastern Conference matchup, keeping their hopes alive for the second seed. Josh Hart scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, while Jalen Brunson added 25 points and 10 assists for the Knicks. Jayson Tatum, playing his first game back at Madison Square Garden since rupturing his Achilles in last season's playoffs, finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists for the Celtics.

Why it matters

The win keeps the Knicks within two games of the Celtics for the second seed in the East, with the teams set to face off again in the final two games of the regular season. The Knicks hold the tiebreaker after winning the season series 3-1, so they control their own destiny in the race for the higher seed.

The details

The Knicks used a strong fourth-quarter performance from Josh Hart, who scored 15 of his 26 points in the final period, to pull out the victory. Jalen Brunson also had a big game for New York, recording 25 points and 10 assists. For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum finished just shy of a triple-double in his return to the Madison Square Garden court where he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in last year's playoffs.

  • The Knicks (52-28) pulled within two games of the Celtics (54-26) for second place with two games to play for both teams.
  • The Knicks then knocked off the Celtics in the second round of last season's playoffs, helped by Tatum's season-ending injury in Game 4 of the series.

The players

Josh Hart

A guard for the New York Knicks who scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Knicks to victory.

Jalen Brunson

A guard for the New York Knicks who had 25 points and 10 assists in the win.

Jayson Tatum

A forward for the Boston Celtics who finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists in his return to the Madison Square Garden court where he ruptured his Achilles tendon in last season's playoffs.

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What’s next

The Knicks host Toronto on Friday in a possible playoff preview and close against Charlotte on Sunday. Boston hosts New Orleans on Friday and Orlando on Sunday.

The takeaway

This game was a crucial matchup in the race for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, with the Knicks keeping their hopes alive by defeating the Celtics. Jayson Tatum's return to the court where he suffered a season-ending injury last year added extra drama to the contest.