NEW YORK - Kevin Garnett had 14 points and nine rebounds, Ray Allen scored 12 points and the Boston Celtics tuned up for the start of their NBA title defense by beating the New York Knicks, 101-90 on Tuesday night.
Eddie House led the Celtics with 20 points. Leon Powe added 19 points and 12 rebounds as Boston's big men overwhelmed an undersized New York lineup.
The Celtics finished 6-2 in the preseason and are now off until hosting Cleveland next Tuesday night in the NBA opener, when they will raise the banner celebrating their 17th NBA championship and receive the rings they earned for beating the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals.
Nate Robinson scored 25 points and Stephon Marbury had 14 for New York.
Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni put Marbury, the longtime starter at point guard but now a reserve, into the starting lineup along with fellow subs Robinson and Wilson Chandler. All three have been among the Knicks' best offensive players in the preseason, but the lineup left the Knicks with a small frontline, forcing a guard to defend forward Paul Pierce, the NBA finals MVP.
Pierce was 0-for-7 and scored only six points, but the Celtics didn't need him. Garnett and the Celtics' bigs punished New York inside, and the Knicks were out of sync offensively, with shots off the side of the backboard and passes thrown into the stands.
Marbury, who some speculated would be waived or traded by now, replaced Jamal Crawford, last season's leading scorer who was averaging just 9.0 points on 41 percent shooting. Crawford struggled again, missing the rim on his first shot attempt.
The Knicks were averaging 109.6 points in the preseason and had won two in a row, including a 104-97 victory at Boston last Friday. But their offense that had looked so fluid was bogged down against the Celtics, who held teams to the lowest field goal percentage in the league last season.
Boston held New York to 30 percent shooting in the first quarter and opened a 26-16 lead. A 17-2 spurt over a span of more than 5 minutes gave the Celtics a 43-20 lead, and they were up 58-34 at halftime after Garnett's layup with 5.9 seconds remaining.
The lead grew to 25 in the third and was still 20 entering the fourth before the Knicks, with starters on the floor against the end of Boston's bench, cut it to single digits late in the period.
The Knicks (3-3) finish their preseason Friday night at home against New Jersey.
The Celtics finished 6-2 in the preseason and are now off until hosting Cleveland next Tuesday night in the NBA opener, when they will raise the banner celebrating their 17th NBA championship and receive the rings they earned for beating the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals.
Nate Robinson scored 25 points and Stephon Marbury had 14 for New York.
Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni put Marbury, the longtime starter at point guard but now a reserve, into the starting lineup along with fellow subs Robinson and Wilson Chandler. All three have been among the Knicks' best offensive players in the preseason, but the lineup left the Knicks with a small frontline, forcing a guard to defend forward Paul Pierce, the NBA finals MVP.
Pierce was 0-for-7 and scored only six points, but the Celtics didn't need him. Garnett and the Celtics' bigs punished New York inside, and the Knicks were out of sync offensively, with shots off the side of the backboard and passes thrown into the stands.
Marbury, who some speculated would be waived or traded by now, replaced Jamal Crawford, last season's leading scorer who was averaging just 9.0 points on 41 percent shooting. Crawford struggled again, missing the rim on his first shot attempt.
The Knicks were averaging 109.6 points in the preseason and had won two in a row, including a 104-97 victory at Boston last Friday. But their offense that had looked so fluid was bogged down against the Celtics, who held teams to the lowest field goal percentage in the league last season.
Boston held New York to 30 percent shooting in the first quarter and opened a 26-16 lead. A 17-2 spurt over a span of more than 5 minutes gave the Celtics a 43-20 lead, and they were up 58-34 at halftime after Garnett's layup with 5.9 seconds remaining.
The lead grew to 25 in the third and was still 20 entering the fourth before the Knicks, with starters on the floor against the end of Boston's bench, cut it to single digits late in the period.
The Knicks (3-3) finish their preseason Friday night at home against New Jersey.
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