HAPPY TURKEY TREY!
Burke gives Knicks stunning win to be thankful for
Trey Burke celebrates after nailing the game-sealing 3-pointer — the last of his game-high 29 points — to preserve the Knicks’ 117-109 win in Boston. The Knicks nearly blew a 26-point lead, but survived to end a six-game skid.
BOSTON — It was The Thanksgiving Eve Miracle. The Celtics — not the Knicks — turned into the turkeys.
David Fizdale’s baby Knicks grew up on Wednesday, turned TD Garden into a cauldron of holiday jeers and hung on to beat the formidable Celtics, 117-109, to break a six-game losing streak.
Who needs Kyrie Irving? Trey Burke stole the night, outplaying the free-agent-to-be with 29 points and 11 assists and two dagger jump shots in the final minute to repel a manic Celtics comeback from 26 down.
As Fizdale walked to the press corps, he exhaled, “Finally.’’
Finally a win, as the Knicks moved to 5-14 after by far their most cherished victory.
“There was one key. It was Trey,” Fizdale said. “He carried us home.”
It was a pitiful showing for the loaded Celtics (9-9), who have underperformed this season after being prohibitive Eastern Conference favorites.
“It doesn’t do anything [because] we’re still 5-14,’’ Tim Hardaway Jr. said. “But everybody should go home with a smile on their face and eat good.”
The home crowd pelted the Celtics with boos from the second quarter onward. Boston fans hadn’t seemed this angry since the Curse of the Bambino.
“That was crazy when I heard it,’’ Burke said. “These are passionate fans just like ours are. It’s satisfying. It’s showing signs of growth for us. We can play with the best of the best in the league. A lot of games we’re counted out but we have talent here.”
The Knicks came close to blowing the lead in the fourth quarter — a familiar storyline this season. Boston was within three points after Jaylen Brown hit 1-of-2 free throws with 34.8 seconds left.
Earlier, Burke hit what appeared to be the game-sealer, a mid-range jumper with 49 seconds left, making it a six-point game. But Boston wouldn’t go away.
Once and for all, Burke ended it, draining a straightaway 3 after sizing up Jayson Tatum and nailing the final dagger with 12 seconds left. It put the Knicks up six to end Boston’s frantic comeback.
Burke said he had waived off a pick because the Celtics had stymied him on the pick-and-roll after his 18-point first half.
“It’s a shot I work on every day and it dropped,’’ Burke said.
Burke, after not playing in a stretch of three out of four games this month, staged his fourth straight spectacular performance. He made 4-of-6 3-pointers and outplayed Irving (22 points, 9of-24, 13 assists).
“It’s the will and grit,’’ said Hardaway, his former Michigan teammate. “That was built into Trey.’’
Hardaway (21 points) got stripped at midcourt and Brown got fouled hard on a fastbreak layup with 34 second left, the Celtics down four. Brown picked up a technical after the play, but Hardaway back-ironed the technical free throw. Brown made 1of-2 free throws, getting the deficit to three and Burke saved it.
“Coach Fiz had done a great job of encouraging me to just be myself,’’ Burke said.
On the second night of a backto-back, the Knicks held Boston to 39 percent shooting. The Celtics’ offense has been surprisingly sluggish this season, averaging just 105 points per 100 possessions — near the league’s bottom.
“They stuck with it — young fellas on a back-to-back in a hos- tile environment,’’ Fizdale said. “They played through a lot of adversity.’’
Struggling Knicks rookie Kevin Knox (11 points) hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 90-70 with 10:20 left. After Frank Ntilikina’s jumper with 9:50 put the Knicks up 21, the Celtics fans let out even more boos.
The Knicks, who have looked like an expansion team of late, led by double-digits the entire second half until the final two minutes, when the Celtics made their charge. At a timeout with 4:51 and the Knicks up 15, droves of Celtics fans swarmed toward the exits.
Burke said after Tuesday’s Portland loss the Knicks were “in the middle of a storm’’ and had to escape.
“We showed signs of being young, but in the storm you learn about yourself and figure how to get out of it,’’ Burke said. “It’s big win for us to build off of.’’