Derrick White and Jaylen Brown combined for 60 points to lead the Boston Celtics past the New York Knicks, 127-102, in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Wednesday night.
It was not only the Celtics’ first contest since losing superstar Jayson Tatum to a season-ending torn right Achilles in Game 4, but it was an elimination game as well, with the Knicks holding a commanding 3-1 series lead.
While Brown and White carried the load in scoring nearly half of Boston’s points, it was unheralded big man Luke Kornet‘s near-triple-double that may have been the biggest key to the victory. Kornet finished the game with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks, with the bulk of that production coming in a historic third quarter.
Law Murray of The Athletic noted just how miraculous Kornet’s numbers during the third quarter (when the Celtics outscored the Knicks 32-17) were.
“What a 3rd quarter from Luke Kornet 🎺
– 4 points
– 5 rebounds
– 5 blocks
– 12 minutes (kept Porzingis off floor)”
His numbers put him in some historic company.
“Players with 5+ rebounds, 5+ blocks in a quarter in the playoffs since 1997:
Hakeem Olajuwon (1998 Rockets at Utah)
Dwight Howard (2010 Magic vs Bobcats)
Serge Ibaka (2011 Thunder vs Nuggets)
JaVale McGee (2012 Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers)
Luke Kornet (2025 Celtics vs Knicks)”
Should Celtics Trust Luke Kornet More Than Kristaps Porzingis Moving Forward?
With Tatum out of action, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla decided to go with an extra big lineup to open the do-or-die contest, starting both centers Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in the frontcourt.
Porzingis had come off the bench in Games 2, 3 and 4 amid a lengthy battle with an ongoing upper respiratory illness, but took the floor for the opening tip on Wednesday, alongside, Brown, White, Horford and guard Jrue Holiday.
Following a difficult first half when the Latvian went 0-for-3 from the field and grabbed only one rebound, Mazzulla benched Porzingis in favor of Kornet.
“I mean, (Porzingis) couldn’t breathe,” Mazzulla said, according to a report by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “He was available if absolutely necessary. And so (going to the bench) was just a decision between me and him.”
Boston and New York went to the locker room at halftime knotted at 59, before Kornet took over in the critical third frame.
“The 7-footer was everywhere defensively and played the entire third quarter, which ended up being pivotal. He ended up with five blocked shots and five rebounds in the quarter. He altered several other attempts as the Knicks went 0-of-5 shooting in the paint in the quarter and the Celtics opened up a 15-point lead,” Windhorst wrote. “The Knicks have dominated the Celtics on the interior at times, largely because of the forceful play of energetic big man Mitchell Robinson. But Kornet and his activity and ability to challenge shots more effectively than Porzingis mitigated Robinson’s minutes.”
The Celtics outscored the Knicks by 20 points during Kornet’s 26 minutes in Game 5, while outscoring New York by a whopping 37 points in Porzingis’ 35:57 off the floor.
Prior to his monster third quarter, Kornet was forced to the bench in the first half after suffering a gash on his left elbow during a collision in which he elbowed Knicks veteran Josh Hart. The latter, who had blood smeared across his face, finished the night with a team-high 24 points.
After having his arm wrapped up by trainers, Kornet re-entered the contest.
“It’s funny, you put a sleeve on Luke Kornet, he turns into Bill Russell,” Celtics forward Sam Hauser said, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Can Derrick White, Jaylen Brown Carry Celtics to Wins in Games 6, 7?
With Tatum done for the series and the rest of the playoffs, Boston will likely need more big scoring efforts from Brown and White during Game 6 on Friday and a potential Game 7 on Monday night.
Brown, though, was particularly effective as a distributor in Game 5 with a career-high 12 assists.
“Jaylen Brown had zero games this regular season with double-digit assists, and zero career postseason games with double-digit assists,” Murray wrote on Bluesky. “In his 134th career playoff game, Brown found 12 assists, more than any game he has ever played in the playoffs or the regular season.”
White, meanwhile, has arguably been the team’s best and most consistent offensive weapon over the last three contests.
After Boston had five players score at least 15 points in their Game 3 blowout win at Madison Square Garden, Tatum almost singlehandedly willed the team a Game 4 victory with a 42-piece. Brown had perhaps his best game of the series on Wednesday.
White though, leads the squad in minutes played (201), three-pointers (24), free throws (23) and points (113) through five contests vs. New York, while racking up eight blocks (second to Kornet). The two-time Second Team All-Defense honoree has also posted a solid .452/.421/.852 shooting line.
With the Celtics still trailing the Knicks 3-2 in the best-of-seven set, there have been reports that Boston could blow up its roster with a loss to New York. One of those rumored to be a top trade candidate this summer is White, who would be a massive loss for Mazzulla and company.
