The Boston Celtics coughed up back-to-back 20-point leads to the New York Knicks and now head to Madison Square Garden down 2-0 in their second-round series.
"Two games we're up 20 points somehow end up not with wins is inexcusable," Jaylen Brown said following the 91-90 loss, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "Obviously being down two, it sucks."
The Celtics led by 16 points early in the fourth quarter before missing 14 of their final 15 shots and being outscored 23-6 over the final 8:30. Boston has majorly struggled from three in the first two games, shooting 4-of-26 in fourth quarters.
"They made every play," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said, adding, "I thought we generated some good looks, and then I thought we had some live-ball turnovers, and they took advantage of it, so they made the necessary plays to win. We put ourselves in position and we just didn't make the plays."
Boston has fallen apart in clutch time - defined as the last five minutes of the game with the score within five points - in the first two contests. The Celtics are 3-of-20 shooting in those situations, while Brown and Jayson Tatum are a combined 1-of-12.
Brown turned the ball over in the final possession of Game 1, while Tatum did the same in Game 2. Both turnovers were the result of Mikal Bridges' defensive tenacity.
"(It's) a bunch of stuff that we can control," said Brown. "I feel like we played a little bit fast and sped up a little antsy. Just it's a rough night."
The Celtics have the additional worry of Kristaps Porzingis' health, as the big man has been battling a lingering illness since February. He sat out the second half of Game 1 and was limited to just 14 minutes off the bench in Game 2.
"I don't know how to call it, but I'm just not feeling my best, not feeling my best at all," Porzingis said. "It just kills me inside that it's happening in this moment. But who cares? Nobody feels sorry for us, sorry for me, and we have to keep going."
The Celtics will look to get back in the series Saturday.
