BOSTON — The Celtics cruised along midway through the third quarter, looking every bit like the defending champions as they built a massive lead. But the Knicks stunned the Celtics in an 108-105 overtime thriller Monday at TD Garden. New York stole both Game 1 of the East semifinals and home-court advantage in one swoop as Celtics fans left the arena befuddled by what they just witnessed.

While it was a close game early, the Celtics used a strong second quarter to build a 16-point halftime lead. That set the stage for what looked like it could be another blowout Boston victory, which was frequently the case in the regular season. Then the C’s went up 20 points midway through the third quarter as the Garden crowd buzzed.

But the Knicks, resilient as ever, punched back and then some against the defending champions. They not only erased a 20-point lead, but Jalen Brunson almost shocked the crowd at the end of regulation. Instead, the rivals marched into overtime in just the latest incredible game of these NBA Playoffs.

The Celtics, even though they made it to overtime, didn’t have the juice in the extra period. They were outscored 8-5 while the Knicks made the necessary plays to steal the victory. And that was it in the East semifinal opener as the Celtics trail a series for the first time since the 2023 East Finals. Mikal Bridges made the final defensive play to seal the victory for the Knicks to cut off the Celtics’ final shot.

Jayson Tatum struggled with his shot as he finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds on 7-for-23 shooting. Jaylen Brown had 23 points while Derrick White added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Brunson scored 29 points while OG Anunoby was huge with his 29 points, though the Knicks got production across the board.

The Celtics and Knicks meet for Game 2 of the series at 7 p.m. Wednesday at TD Garden. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s loss to New York:

Another clutch game: The Knicks had to grind their way through the first round against the Pistons in multiple close games. That was again the case Monday as the Knicks dragged the Celtics into crunch-time. Both teams were up for it in regulation, responding with body blows, as the lead seesawed before heading into overtime. But at the end of the night, the Celtics didn’t have the enough shots in overtime. The C’s couldn’t even muster up a final shot at the buzzer as they fell behind 1-0 in the series.

Eye on the 3: It was clear right from tipoff that the Celtics were playing a different foe than the Magic, who stymied their 3-point production. The C’s shot away from deep plenty Monday, finishing with 60 3-point attempts. However, the makes were a different story. The Celtics shot just 25% (15-for-60) from behind the arc as makes were rare. That was in comparison to the Knicks shooting 45.9% (17-for-37) on 3s as the visitors needed every single make Monday. The 45 missed 3s from the Celtics were an NBA playoff record.

Injuries pop up: Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t on the Celtics bench for the majority of the second quarter, casting some doubt on his status. Once he didn’t start the second half, it was clear something was wrong. The big man was downgraded on the injury report to questionable due to an illness as he missed the rest of the game. Porzingis again struggled in the playoffs, going 0-for-4 from the field while scoring no points though he did collect four offensive rebounds. Sam Hauser was also forced to leave late in the third quarter after turning his ankle, so that’s another issue to monitor for the Celtics.

Home-court gone: The Celtics came into the series as heavy favorites, and even after this stunning Game 1 loss, it’s still extremely early. But the C’s lost home-court advantage now. It’s also the first time since 2023 the Celtics trail a playoff series. They’ve lost playoff games, including during their 2024 title run, but they never trailed nor faced an elimination game. So, relatively speaking, this is new territory for the C’s as they’ll look to bounce back in a crucial Game 2 on Wednesday.

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Read the original article on MassLive.