The Knicks dropped to 0-2 on Sunday evening, losing another blowout thanks to an uninspired offense, this time to the Boston Celtics, 94-81, in NBA Summer League action. Leading the way for New York was Kevin McCullar Jr. with 30 points and two steals on 10-for-15 shooting from the field.
Ariel Hukporti scored nine points, corralled 13 rebounds and swatted three shots in a strong effort. Pacome Dadiet had seven points and six rebounds on 3-11 shooting, while Mohamed Diawara and Dink Pate contributed off the bench with five points each and three combined steals.
Tyler Kolek had a nightmare game with 1-for-13 shooting and four turnovers. The New York offense once again came out flat and never fully recovered.
Boston got a big night from center Charles Bassey, who put up 22 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks on 8-for-12 shooting from the field, dominating the Knicks on lob after lob to lead the way. Jalen Bridges, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh and Kendall Brown put up 15, 13, 13 and 11 points, respectively.
New York’s offensive struggles from their first game carried over in the early minutes of this one as they trailed 15-4 out of the gates. They committed seven turnovers as a team in the opening period, once again looking flummoxed in the halfcourt.
Boston took advantage, as Scheierman racked up seven points, three assists and three steals in the first ten minutes. Going into the second, the Celtics led 27-18.
Dadiet had a strong drive to his left for the finish to try and spur things midway through the second, one of his pro-level moves early in this Summer League. He hit a three late in the quarter for New York’s second of the night, out of 20 attempts.
The Celtics had better luck from deep and forced another seven turnovers, though the Knicks didn’t succumb to any large runs. Boston led going into halftime 42-30, behind a balanced team scoring effort.
McCullar Jr., the Knicks' primary source of offense in the first half, kept aggressively attacking the basket in the third, converting some inside buckets. The guard play was still a step behind as Kolek really struggled to get anything going out of the pick and roll.
Meanwhile, Boston started racking up the free throws in the paint, led by Walsh and his takes. New York pared down on their turnovers, limiting themselves to only six this frame, as they lagged 71-53 after three.
The Knicks made some big plays in the fourth, getting out in transition, a three and a dunk from McCullar Jr., but it wasn’t enough. Boston continually had an answer, never getting within single digits and cruising to victory.
One fun bright spot? Yudai Baba, the29-year-old deep reserve, got in late and scored a bucket, leading to an eruption from Knicks fans.
