The Boston Celtics defeat the New York Knicks 108-97

The Boston Celtics came out firing on all cylinders against the New York Knicks Tuesday, winning 108-97.

Marcus Smart returned to the starting lineup and immediately made his presence felt, hitting two quick threes. The whole Boston roster had a great first half, shooting 56 percent from the field in the first two quarters while taking a 57-44 lead. From there, the Celtics didn't look back, flirting with a double-digit lead the rest of the night and never losing their lead.

It wasn't just the shooting, as Smart also had a very good night defensively including a real nice chase down block on Carmelo Anthony. Speaking of Anthony, as sweet as this win was (depending on which side of the tank debate you're on) against the Knicks, it's hard to get too excited against a team with so little true NBA talent outside of Melo.

For Boston, Jared Sullinger had himself a game, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Avery Bradley had 26 points and Smart had 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and a couple steals. James Young got plenty of minutes, finishing with five points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 17 minutes.

For New York, Anthony had 21 points and six rebounds and Jose Calderon had 17 points.

Another quick Smart note (sorry he's kind of a big deal), he went back to the locker room in the first quarter after tweaking his ankle, but just got it re-taped and came back in before the quarter ended.

Boston's next game is against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday.


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Photo credit: Adam Hunger, USA Today Sports