Crowder, Celtics hold off Knicks 119-114

Boston holds off Knicks after blowing late lead

NEW YORK >> When the Knicks tried to make a Christmas comeback, the Celtics’ response was strong and Smart.

Isaiah Thomas scored 27 points, Marcus Smart made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 47 seconds left after Boston blew a late lead, and the Celtics beat New York 119-114 on Sunday.

The Knicks wiped out a late nine-point deficit with an out-ofnowhere 11-2 run in a little more than a minute, but Smart answered with his shot and Avery Bradley and Al Horford made big defensive plays afterward.

“We did a good job of just being calm and gutting out the win,” Thomas said.

Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk each had 16 points for the Celtics, who won for the fifth time in six games.

Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points and Derrick Rose had 25 for the Knicks, who fell to 22-29 in their NBA-record 51 Christmas appearances.

“You don’t want to lose at all but to lose today, it was a tough loss,” Anthony said.

Crowder made three straight 3-pointers in the second quarter as Boston took a 56-48 halftime advantage. The Celtics rarely built the lead much bigger in the second half, but also never let the Knicks make much of a dent in it, always coming up with some stops and points whenever it got within a couple of possessions.

Suddenly Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis scored all the points in the run that tied it at 112 on Anthony’s layup with 1:06 to play, but Boston wasn’t rattled. “They had the crowd behind

them on a very special day and this team just did a really good job of making sure when they punched us we punched right back,” said Smart, whose mouth was bloodied earlier when Rose crashed into him on a drive to the basket.

The Celtics worked it around to Smart for his 3, and Bradley forced Anthony to turn it over on New York’s next possession. Thomas hit a free throw to make it a fourpoint game and it stayed that way when Horford blocked Porzingis’ shot.

“I thought our guys really battled and the response was even great when they did tie it up,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.

SETH WENIG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Boston Celtics’ Jae Crowder reacts after hitting a three-point basket during the first half against the New York Knicks Sunday. Boston won 119-114.

SETH WENIG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Boston Celtics’ Amir Johnson, right, puts up a shot over New York Knicks’ Joakim Noah (13) during the second half Sunday. Boston won 119-114.