NEW YORK — By the end of the Celtics’ blowout win over the Knicks on Saturday, Luke Kornet hadn’t missed a shot. He was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds, including five boards on the offensive end.
But Kornet wasn’t originally supposed to start Saturday against his old team. The reserve big man was pushed into action because Kristaps Porzingis was a late scratch due to illness. Turns out, it was Payton Pritchard who had to inform Kornet he was going to start the game in somewhat unorthodox news.
“It was during layup lines,” Kornet said. “He was coming back, he was like, ‘Eh, you know you’re starting?’ I don’t know. That will happen sometimes. I just kind of told myself before the game that I was not throwing away my shot.”
The Celtics needed all of Kornet’s production throughout the night as he played his role perfectly. Jrue Holiday was also out for Saturday’s game, meaning Al Horford got the start alongside Kornet. The two bigs play well off each other as the C’s featured double big lineups throughout the win.
So while Jayson Tatum’s 40-point game stole headlines, Kornet’s flexibility was also a huge part of the victory. Tatum gave Kornet the shoutout during his postgame comments in the C’s locker room, saying he played a hell of a game. Those kudos are the same for Neemias Queta, who put up 11 points and eight rebounds in his 26 minutes of work.
“When that happens, it just gives guys other opportunity to step up,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So that’s a great thing about the locker room is guys are always ready. Luke ready to start, Neemy, (Xavier Tillman), everybody. So to me it’s just about the connectivity of the team and stuff like that happens, next guy’s got to be ready to go and do his job and they did a good job of that tonight.”
The Celtics have prided themselves on their depth, which was on full display Saturday. Tatum and Derrick White dominated the third quarter between themselves, but they won at the margins because of their reserves. The C’s had a 16-4 edge in second-chance points as their bigs feasted down low. Payton Pritchard also added 25 points off the bench as he caught fire in the fourth quarter.
All that resulted in the Celtics blowing out the Knicks for the second time this season. Saturday’s game was crucial for the East standings as the Celtics created some distance with the third-place Knicks. Now, the C’s have two games ahead of the All-Star break as they’ll look to finish strong.
“I feel like just my intention and physicality were good,” Kornet said. “And obviously I think some of those plays just sort of lined up. It’s obviously a lot of fun playing here and I feel like that environment just kind of makes for an exciting game. I feel like the crowd kind of gets you into it and it was important to kind of just stay focused.”
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
