Let’s cut the fluff. On February 8, 2026, the New York Knicks walked into TD Garden and absolutely bullied the Boston Celtics. The final score? 111-89. Not close. Not competitive. A statement.
The New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics match stats tell a brutal story. Boston shot 17.1% from three — a season low. The Knicks vs Celtics Feb 2026 box score shows a team that couldn’t buy a bucket from deep. Meanwhile, the Knicks vs Celtics game analysis 2026 reveals a Knicks squad that controlled every facet of the game.
This wasn’t just a win. This was a warning shot from the Knicks to the entire Eastern Conference. The Celtics vs Knicks player performance Feb 8 was ugly if you’re a Boston fan. But if you love gritty, hard-nosed basketball? Pure beauty.
Let’s dive into the NBA Knicks vs Celtics Feb 8 stats, break down every quarter, and figure out how New York embarrassed the Celtics on their home floor.
New York Knicks
34-19 · 2nd East
Boston Celtics
34-18 · 3rd East
| Player | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Brunson | 33:13 | 12-21 | 4-8 | 3-3 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 31 | +20 |
| Josh Hart | 26:20 | 7-14 | 2-6 | 3-4 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | +10 |
| Mikal Bridges | 30:24 | 5-10 | 1-3 | 3-3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | +2 |
| Jose Alvarado | 25:04 | 5-12 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | +13 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 29:24 | 3-9 | 0-2 | 5-6 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11 | +10 |
| Mohamed Diawara | 26:30 | 4-4 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | +22 |
| Mitchell Robinson | 15:58 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3-8 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | +15 |
| Landry Shamet | 27:48 | 1-5 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -1 |
| Tyler Kolek | 3:49 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +2 |
| Player | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Brown | 33:08 | 11-25 | 0-4 | 4-4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 26 | -14 |
| Derrick White | 34:12 | 7-14 | 3-9 | 2-2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | -9 |
| Baylor Scheierman | 29:11 | 3-8 | 2-7 | 2-2 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | +1 |
| Nikola Vučević | 23:29 | 5-13 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | -24 |
| Payton Pritchard | 30:31 | 2-9 | 1-6 | 1-1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | -27 |
| Luka Garza | 15:21 | 1-4 | 0-3 | 4-4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -6 |
| Neemias Queta | 22:47 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Jordan Walsh | 5:32 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
First Quarter: Knicks Come Out Swinging
The game started at 12:30 PM ET at TD Garden. Boston was riding a five-game winning streak. They were at home. They had momentum.
None of that mattered.
New York dropped 35 points in the first 12 minutes. Jalen Brunson looked like a man possessed. He scored 12 points in the opening quarter alone, slicing through Boston’s defense like a hot knife through butter.
The Knicks vs Celtics quarter by quarter stats tell a simple story. First quarter: Knicks 35, Celtics 24. That’s an 11-point hole Boston had to dig out of immediately.
Key moment: Mikal Bridges drained a three-pointer just 17 seconds into the game. That set the tone. The Knicks never looked back.
Boston’s offense looked lost. Without Jayson Tatum (inactive for this game), the Celtics struggled to generate clean looks. Derrick White tried to keep them afloat, but the damage was already done.
First quarter bullet points:
- Brunson: 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting
- The Knicks shot 53.1% from the field.
- The Celtics managed only 24 points despite playing at home.
Second Quarter: Boston Fights Back (Briefly)
The Celtics woke up in the second quarter. They outscored the Knicks 29-25, trimming the lead to just 60-53 at halftime. For a moment, it looked like Boston might make a game of it.
Jaylen Brown carried the load. He finished the half with 15 points and kept attacking the rim. Derrick White added 11 points and knocked down a couple of threes.
But here’s the problem. Even when Boston scored, they couldn’t stop New York. The Knicks vs Celtics rebounds and assists stats show the Knicks shared the ball beautifully. Brunson had 8 assists total in the game, many of them setting up open shooters or cutting big men.
The Boston Celtics vs Knicks performance analysis at halftime was clear: Boston was hanging around, but they were expending way too much energy just to stay within striking distance.
Halftime numbers:
- Brunson: 19 points
- Brown: 15 points
- Knicks shooting: 48% from the field.
- Celtics shooting: 41% from the field.
The warning signs were there. Boston’s three-point shooting was already struggling (4-of-17 in the first half). That problem was about to get much worse.
Third Quarter: The 20-7 Run That Ended Everything
This is where the game broke.
Coming out of halftime, the Knicks slammed the door shut with a 20-7 run that pushed the lead back to 17 points. Josh Hart sparked the surge with a mid-range jumper and a three-pointer. After that, New York never let the lead dip back to single digits.
The Knicks vs Celtics shooting percentages Feb 8 in the third quarter tell the whole story. Boston went 3-of-16 from three-point range in the quarter. That’s 18.7%. Painful to watch if you’re a Celtics fan.
Mitchell Robinson had a weird, wonderful moment during this stretch. Boston tried the “Hack-a-Robinson” strategy — fouling him intentionally because he’s a poor free-throw shooter. Robinson clanked all four free throws he attempted in the first half. But in the third quarter, with 2:32 left, he stepped up and made both free throws. The Garden crowd groaned. Robinson smiled. Knicks’ bench went nuts.
That’s the kind of night it was for Boston. Nothing worked.
Third quarter box:
- Knicks: 25 points
- Celtics: 15 points (season-low for a single quarter?)
- New York led 85-68 heading into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter: Garbage Time with a Side of Humiliation
The fourth quarter was a victory lap for the Knicks. Brunson scored 10 straight points at one point, giving New York a 23-point lead with four minutes left.
The Celtics vs Knicks turnovers and fouls stats got ugly in garbage time. Boston committed 10 turnovers total, many of them live-ball giveaways that turned into easy Knicks fast-break points.
New York’s bench got plenty of run. Jose Alvarado, recently acquired by the Knicks, scored 12 points and looked feisty on defense. Mohamed Diawara was perfect from the field — 4-for-4, including two threes, for 10 points.
The final score: 111-89. Boston’s five-game winning streak? Snapped. Their home-court advantage? Gone. Their three-point shooting? Buried.
🏀 Complete Knicks vs Celtics Box Score Feb 8 2026
Let’s get into the actual numbers. No fluff. Just stats.
New York Knicks Player Stats
| Player | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | +/- |
| Jalen Brunson | 11:13 PM | 12-21 | 4-8 | 3-3 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 31 | +20 |
| Josh Hart | 11:20 PM | 7-14 | 2-6 | 3-4 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | +10 |
| Mikal Bridges | 11:24 PM | 5-10 | 1-3 | 3-3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | +2 |
| Jose Alvarado | 11:04 PM | 5-12 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | +13 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 11:24 PM | 3-9 | 0-2 | 5-6 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11 | +10 |
| Mohamed Diawara | 11:30 PM | 4-4 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | +22 |
| Mitchell Robinson | 3:58 PM | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3-8 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | +15 |
| Landry Shamet | 11:48 PM | 1-5 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -1 |
| Tyler Kolek | 3:49 AM | 2-2 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +2 |
Source: FantasyData box score
Boston Celtics Player Stats
| Player | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | +/- |
| Jaylen Brown | 11:08 PM | 11-25 | 0-4 | 4-4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 26 | -14 |
| Derrick White | 11:12 PM | 7-14 | 3-9 | 2-2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | -9 |
| Nikola Vučević | 11:29 PM | 5-13 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | -24 |
| Baylor Scheierman | 11:11 PM | 3-8 | 2-7 | 2-2 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | +1 |
| Payton Pritchard | 11:31 PM | 2-9 | 1-6 | 1-1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | -27 |
| Luka Garza | 3:21 PM | 1-4 | 0-3 | 4-4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -6 |
| Neemias Queta | 10:47 PM | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
Source: FantasyData box score
🧠 Player Efficiency Rating: Who Actually Helped Their Team?
Let’s talk player efficiency rating, Knicks, Celtics. This isn’t just about points. It’s about impact.
Jalen Brunson led the game with a PER of 43.6. That’s elite. He scored efficiently, distributed the ball, and didn’t turn it over much (only 3 turnovers in 33 minutes).
Josh Hart posted a 29.7 PER — fantastic for a guy who isn’t supposed to be a primary scorer.
Mohamed Diawara had a perfect shooting night. 4-for-4 from the field. 2-for-2 from three. 17.1 PER in just 26 minutes. That’s the definition of efficient bench production.
On the Celtics side, Jaylen Brown scored 26 points but needed 25 shots to get there. His PER was 36.4 — decent, but not enough to carry a team missing its best player.
Derrick White posted a 26.2 PER and was probably Boston’s most consistent player.
Baylor Scheierman grabbed 13 rebounds — an impressive total for a guard — and added 5 assists. His PER of 32.1 shows he was one of the few Celtics who actually helped his team.
📊 Team Stats vs Individual Stats NBA: The Big Picture
Sometimes individual stats lie. Team stats don’t.
Here’s the raw NBA advanced stats analysis from this game:
| Category | Knicks | Celtics |
| Field Goal % | 48.2% (40-83) | 37.0% (34-92) |
| Three-Point % | 40.0% (14-35) | 17.1% (7-41) |
| Free Throw % | 70.8% (17-24) | 93.3% (14-15) |
| Total Rebounds | 46 | 44 |
| Assists | 23 | 22 |
| Turnovers | 8 | 10 |
| Points in Paint | 38 | 52 |
| Fast Break Points | 16 | 4 |
Source: Fox Sports team stats
Notice the field goal percentage NBA game disparity. The Knicks shot 48%. The Celtics shot 37%. That’s the difference between a contender and a pretender on any given night.
The three-point shooting Knicks vs Celtics gap is even wider. New York hit 40% of their threes. Boston hit 17%. That’s not a bad shooting night. That’s an apocalypse.
🔥 Top Performers Knicks vs Celtics
Let’s call out the top performers, Knicks vs Celtics:
🏆 Jalen Brunson (Knicks): 31 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds. The engine of the Knicks’ offense. Every time Boston tried to make a run, Brunson answered.
🥈 Jaylen Brown (Celtics): 26 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds. He tried. He really did. But without Tatum, he had to do too much.
🥉 Josh Hart (Knicks): 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists. The ultimate glue guy. Hart does everything — scores, rebounds, defends, and annoys opponents.
Honorable Mention – Baylor Scheierman (Celtics): 10 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists. A triple-double threat in just his 12th career start. The rookie played his heart out.
🧩 Bench Players Contribution NBA Game
The bench players’ contribution in the NBA game category was a complete Knicks domination.
New York’s bench scored 46 points. Boston’s bench scored 31 points.
Mohamed Diawara (10 points), Jose Alvarado (12 points), and Mitchell Robinson (5 points, 9 rebounds) all provided quality minutes. The Knicks’ second unit stretched leads instead of losing them.
Boston’s bench? Payton Pritchard (6 points) and Nikola Vučević (11 points) tried, but the rest of the reserves combined for just 14 points. That’s not going to cut it against a deep team like New York.
🎯 Knicks vs Celtics Starting Lineup Feb 2026
Here’s who started this game:
New York Knicks starting lineup:
- PG: Jalen Brunson
- SG: Landry Shamet
- SF: Josh Hart
- PF: Mikal Bridges
- C: Karl-Anthony Towns
Source: Fox Sports play-by-play
Boston Celtics starting lineup:
- PG: Derrick White
- SG: Baylor Scheierman
- SF: Jaylen Brown
- PF: Luka Garza
- C: Neemias Queta
Source: Fox Sports play-by-play
Notice something missing? Jayson Tatum was inactive for this game. That’s a massive absence. The Celtics’ offense relies heavily on Tatum’s creation. Without him, Brown had to carry a load he wasn’t equipped for.
Sam Hauser was also injured, forcing Baylor Scheierman into the starting lineup. The rookie played well (13 rebounds, 5 assists), but Boston’s lack of depth was exposed.
🔁 Clutch Performance Knicks vs Celtics
There wasn’t much “clutch” in this game. The Knicks led for 45 minutes and 33 seconds. Boston led for just 1 minute and 19 seconds.
But if we’re talking about clutch performance, Knicks vs Celtics — the moments that mattered most — it happened in the third quarter. The 20-7 run. That’s when Boston’s spirit broke.
Josh Hart started it with a mid-range jumper. Then a three-pointer. Then Brunson took over. By the time the quarter ended, the game was over. No drama. No last-second heroics. Just a methodical beatdown.
📈 NBA Eastern Conference Rivalry Stats
This game had serious NBA Eastern Conference rivalry stats implications. Boston entered the game with a one-game lead over New York for second place.
After the loss, the standings tightened. The Knicks proved they could beat Boston on the road without needing a miracle. That matters for playoff seeding.
These two teams will meet one more time during the regular season on April 9 in New York. If that game has seeding implications, expect war.
The Knicks vs Celtics game analysis 2026 shows a rivalry that’s heating up. Boston has owned the East for years. New York is knocking on the door.
1. Who won the Knicks vs Celtics game on February 8, 2026?
The New York Knicks won 111-89 at TD Garden in Boston. It was their most complete performance of the season against a top Eastern Conference rival.
2. Who scored the most points in the Knicks vs Celtics game on Feb 8, 2026?
Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 31 points for the Knicks. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points.
3. What were Jayson Tatum’s stats in the Knicks vs Celtics game on February 8, 2026?
Jayson Tatum did not play in this game. He was listed as inactive. Boston’s offense struggled without him.
4. How did the Knicks beat the Celtics on February 8, 2026?
The Knicks won through elite three-point shooting (40%) and stifling defense that held Boston to 17.1% from deep. A 20-7 run in the third quarter sealed the victory.
5. Where can I find the full Knicks vs Celtics box score from Feb 8, 2026?
You can find the complete box score on NBA.com, ESPN, Basketball-Reference, or FantasyData. This article includes the full player stats table for both teams.
📝 Final Thoughts: What This Game Means
The Knicks vs Boston Celtics player stats Feb 8, 2026, tell a clear story. New York is for real. Boston has problems.
Jalen Brunson is playing like an MVP candidate. The Knicks’ bench is deep and productive. Their defense travels. Their offense flows.
Boston, on the other hand, looked lost without Jayson Tatum. Jaylen Brown tried to carry the team but shot inefficiently (11-for-25). The Celtics’ three-point shooting was historically bad. Their home-court advantage? Neutralized.
This wasn’t a fluke. The Knicks outplayed Boston in every phase of the game. The complete player performance of the Knicks and Celtics Feb 8 game showed a team that’s ready to compete for the Eastern Conference crown.
If these two teams meet in the playoffs? Buckle up. It’s going to be a bloodbath.
And based on what we saw on February 8, 2026? The Knicks might just have Boston’s number.
Reference sources: NBA.com box score, ESPN game recap, Fantasy Data player stats, Fox Sports team stats, Basketball-Reference play-by-play. All data verified as of February 8, 2026.
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