The Knicks can compete. Contending is another matter.
After losing three straight to the Celtics by knockout — an average of more than 17 points — the Knicks finally took the defending champs to the final bell.
Yet they still left Madison Square Garden the victims of a regular-season sweep, watching the most thrilling and meaningful victory of the season slip through their fingers after allowing a game-tying 3-pointer to Jayson Tatum with 2.9 seconds left in regulation and falling to Boston 119-117 in overtime.
Though Karl-Anthony Towns put up 34 points and 14 rebounds, the Knicks’ former beloved big man, Kristaps Porzingis, took advantage of the lax perimeter defense, scoring 34 points (eight 3-pointers) — including a tiebreaking 3 with 41.2 seconds left in overtime.
Tatum finished with 32 points.
Following Porzingis’ final shot, the Knicks had an opportunity to tie the game, but Mikal Bridges dropped a pass out-of-bounds.
Jrue Holiday then made four clutch free throws in the closing 12.1 seconds and Jalen Brunson made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it a two-point defeat.
Entering with five wins in their previous six games, the Knicks (50-29) have won just one of their past eight against teams over .500 — falling to 12-20 against winning teams this season — and have gone nearly two calendar years since last beating the Celtics at home.
The Knicks are 0-9 against the three best teams in the league — the Celts, Cavaliers and Thunder.
The Knicks loss combined with a Pacers win leaves their magic number at one for the No. 3 seed in the East, setting up a potential second-round matchup with Boston (59-20), which has won 12 of its past 13 games and is locked into the No. 2 seed.
The Knicks appeared aware of the ramifications of a game that would affect their psyche far more than the standings.
The Celtics suited up as if it meant as much, playing a trio of stars — Tatum (ankle), Jaylen Brown (knee) and Porzingis (illness) — listed as questionable.
Towns led the charge, scoring 10 of the Knicks’ first 14 points after hitting his first four shots.
Jalen Brunson opened sharp in his second game back from a month-long absence, scoring 10 points in the first quarter and finishing with 27 on 10-for-21 shooting.
Though Boston opened cold from deep, Tatum put up 11 points in the quarter, keeping the Celtics close, 30-27, after 12 minutes.
It was the first time this season that the Knicks didn’t trail Boston by double digits after one quarter.
The Celtics kept to their season-long script — one which enabled Boston to hit nearly 22 3s per game in the previous meeting, while shooting better than 45 percent — but the most prolific 3-point shooting team in league history opened 6-for-24 beyond the arc, allowing the Knicks to remain in control, behind Towns’ 22-point, nine-rebound half.
At halftime, the Knicks held a 14-rebound advantage, 10-plus points in the paint, shot 52 percent from the field and held Brown to two points.
But the 58-52 lead hardly reflected it.
The Celtics needed just 92 seconds to take back the lead in the second half, with Porzingis capping an 8-0 run from deep.
The Latvian continued punching down at smaller defenders, racking up 27 points midway through the third quarter.
His seventh 3-pointer left the crowd with awe and angst, drilled from the logo, 39-feet deep, giving Boston a seven-point lead.
When Porzingis rested, the Knicks responded, going on a 7-0 run, but the Celtics still ended the third quarter on top, 83-78, following Tatum’s buzzer-beating jumper.
A back-and-forth period saw the Knicks pull within one on a Brunson fadeaway with just over two minutes remaining.
After Derrick White missed a wide-open 3, OG Anunoby put back a Brunson miss, sending the crowd into celebratory spasms.
Following a Bridges midrange jumper, Tatum had the chance to tie the game at the line — after Towns fouled him on a corner 3 — but the Celtics superstar missed the final attempt, leaving the Knicks up one.
Tatum would make up for it one possession later.
Hart missed an opportunity to win it with a buzzer-beating 3. With less than one minute left in overtime, the score remained tied.
Then, Porzingis delivered again.
