Jaylen Brown Scores Season-High 42 Points as Celtics Hold Off Knicks 123-117

Jaylen Brown led the Boston Celtics with a career-high 42 points, including a decisive breakaway dunk in the closing seconds, to secure a 123-117 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night (Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, Philippine time). This game served as a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference semifinal.

Derrick White complemented Brown’s performance by scoring 22 points, with seven coming in the final four minutes to help Boston fend off a late Knicks comeback that trimmed a 15-point deficit to just three. Rookie Jordan Walsh contributed six points and grabbed five rebounds in the fourth quarter.

For the Knicks, Mikal Bridges led all scorers with 35 points, 17 of which were scored in the fourth quarter. Bridges was especially effective beyond the arc, hitting 8 of 12 three-point attempts. Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 points for New York, who had been riding a four-game winning streak.

With this win, Boston has now claimed victories in four of their last five games, prevailing against four of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks started strong with a 17-4 run and held a commanding 39-25 lead. However, the Celtics responded with a 12-0 run to erase that deficit. A critical seven-point streak culminated in a Brown dunk, giving Boston a 47-46 lead and energizing the home crowd. Brown continued to dominate, posting 18 points in the second quarter and adding 15 more in the third.

The Celtics entered the fourth quarter with an 18-point lead and were ahead 102-87 with eight minutes remaining. New York’s Bridges sparked a 12-0 run with a three-pointer, three free throws, and another three-pointer, narrowing Boston’s advantage to three points.

Josh Minott hit a crucial three-pointer, followed by back-to-back putbacks from Walsh, extending the Celtics’ lead back to eight. Bridges responded with another three-pointer, bringing the Knicks within four points with 46 seconds to go. However, a potential game-tying three-pointer from Bridges missed in the final moments.

In other NBA action that night, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Washington Wizards 121-102, the Toronto Raptors edged the Portland Trail Blazers 121-118, San Antonio Spurs overcame the Memphis Grizzlies 126-119, Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans 149-142 in overtime, and Oklahoma City Thunder held off the Golden State Warriors 124-112.