But this time, Boston did not crumble. Instead, it received critical contributions from forward Jordan Walsh down the stretch and held on for a 123-117 win, maintaining the momentum from Sunday’s big victory over the Cavaliers.
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Jaylen Brown had 42 points on 16 of 24 shooting to lead Boston, and Derrick White added 22 points. Walsh had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and an assist in the fourth quarter alone for Boston, which shot 56.3 percent from the field and made 33 of 47 2-pointers (70.2 percent).
Mikal Bridges scored 35 points to lead the Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns added 29. But star guard Jalen Brunson was just 6 for 21 from the field for 15 points.
The Celtics led by 18 with 11 minutes left. But the Knicks needed just one minute to slice that deficit in half with a 9-0 burst that was highlighted by a Jordan Clarkson 4-point play.
The Celtics called timeout and steadied themselves with a Sam Hauser 3-pointer that was followed by an Anfernee Simons three-point play. But the resistance was fleeting.
The Celtics’ Josh Minott celebrates a 3-pointer in the second quarter. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
This time, the Knicks uncorked another 9-0 flurry in just 44 seconds. Hugo Gonzalez was whistled for a flagrant foul when he hit Bridges on a 3-pointer. Bridges hit all three free throws and the Knicks capitalized on the extra possession with a Towns three-point play on a putback. Then with 6:29 left Bridges hit another 3, pulling New York within 102-99.
The Celtics received lifts from unlikely sources. Josh Minott hit a 3-pointer, and Walsh converted consecutive putbacks to push the lead back to 109-101.
After the Knicks pulled within 113-110 on a Bridges 3-pointer with 2:40 to play, Walsh attacked a baseline close-out and converted a tough layup. The Knicks made a final push, getting a basket and a 3-pointer by Bridges to pull within 119-115 with 44.2 seconds left.
After a Brown turnover, though, Bridges missed a 3-pointer that could have brought the Knicks within 1. Walsh then put his final imprint on the game by winning a key jump ball.
Before the game, Mazzulla was asked what these Knicks do differently now that Mike Brown is their coach. He said the team is crashing for more offensive rebounds, and firing up more 3-pointers. It is an approach Mazzulla can probably get behind.
The Knicks generated wide-open 3-pointers on their first two possessions, and even though they missed one, the looks were a harbinger for the rest of the quarter. New York hit three 3-pointers in the first two minutes, and Miles McBride and Josh Hart combined to start 5 for 5 from beyond the arc to push New York to a 25-12 lead.
The Celtics, meanwhile, started 0 for 8 from long range, but used some hustle plays to keep the Knicks within reach. Two offensive rebounds on one trip led to a Neemias Queta alley-oop, and Walsh stormed in for a follow slam.
But Brown’s three turnovers were a hindrance, including when Hart had nowhere to go when he retrieved a loose ball near midcourt with the shot clock running down, and Brown bumped him to reset the possession.
The Knick’s Josh Hart can only watch as Jaylen Brown drives to the hoop during his 18-point second quarter.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Later in the quarter, the Celtics intentionally fouled Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks’ poor-shooting big man, dusting off a strategy they deployed during last season’s conference semifinals.
Robinson was just 1 for 4, but on the Celtics’ third attempt they were whistled for an away-from-the-play foul, giving Brunson a technical free throw. They did not try it again during the half.
Towns steamrolled the Celtics in the first 90 seconds of the second quarter. He bookended a 3-pointer with two baskets inside to stretch the lead to 39-25, New York’s largest.
But Hugo Gonzalez, who has proven he can be a pest against any opponent despite being just 19 years old, stepped forward and helped slow Towns on consecutive possessions. He held his ground despite the massive size difference.
At the other end, Brown wiped away his sluggish start with a dominant stretch. In less than a minute he made a layup, hit a 3-pointer and converted a 3-point play, igniting a 12-0 run that flipped the energy in an unusually Knicks-heavy crowd. He had 18 points in the period.
Gonzalez, who played the entire second quarter, remained disruptive with his defensive versatility. He slid over to Brunson and stripped the Knicks’ All-Star point guard, leading to a Payton Pritchard layup that gave the Celtics a 56-49 lead and capped a 31-10 surge.
Boston was 16 for 18 in the paint in the first half.
In the third quarter, Brown could not quite duplicate his 18-point second quarter, but he certainly came close.
He gave the Celtics their first double-digit lead (63-52) with a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer.
And Boston mostly maintained that lead with Brown pulverizing the Knicks with midrange jumpers. Then in the final minutes, the rupture Boston had been building toward arrived.
Brown called for an isolation against Robinson, an elite one-on-one defender, and shook him with a crossover before hitting a jumper. On the final possession he set up the same play, with the crowd buzzing in anticipation. The Knicks were anticipating it, too, and sent a double team Brown’s way. So he willingly made the pass to an open White, whose 3-pointer capped a 12-0 burst and sent Boston to the fourth quarter with a 94-76 lead.
Brown had 15 points in the third quarter and entered the fourth with 37 on 15 for 22 shooting.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.
