NEW YORK — Point guard Avery Bradley made his first seven shots and scored 26 points, leading the Boston Celtics to a wire-to-wire 108-97 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Bradley made 11-of-14 shots, coming with six of his career high for points and within two of his career best for field goals.
Forward Jared Sullinger collected 22 points and nine rebounds for his ninth game with at least 20 points. He also had nine rebounds and six assists.
Rookie guard Marcus Smart and reserve forward Jae Crowder added 13 apiece. Center Brandon Bass contributed 12 for the Celtics, who shot 54.5 percent.
Forward Carmelo Anthony struggled from the floor from the outset missing six of his first seven. He finished with 21 points on 9-of-22 from the floor as the Knicks had a four-game home winning streak snapped. Point Guard Jose Calderon added 17 for New York, which trailed by as many as 16 in the opening half.
Before he missed, Bradley knocked down two 3-pointers, had a layup and three other jumpers. He finally missed when his layup attempt missed wildly with less than seven minutes remaining in the third but Bass cleaned it up with a layup for a 67-55 lead.
Bradley was on the bench in the early stages of the fourth when the Knicks were within 86-82 with 8:13 remaining following a layup by Larkin. Sullinger answered with a layup on the next possession and about a minute later hit a short turnaround fadaway for a 92-82 lead.
After Sullinger hit those shots, Bradley finished off the win. He had a 16-footer roll in with 5:09 remaining for a 94-84 lead and had a jumper with 2:48 remaining for a 100-88 edge before adding a 3-pointer in the final minute.
NOTES: New York F Amar’e Stoudemire missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left ankle though coach Derek Fisher was hopeful of a return this weekend. … In a New York Times story, team president Phil Jackson labeled his first season being an executive as “an experiment that has fallen flat on its face.”Asked about it before the game, Fisher said: “I think leaders aren’t afraid to step out in front of it and that’s what he did. It stops with him but I’ll tell you guys the same thing it stops with me. Hopefully we’ll have more guys in our locker room that will tell you it stops with them. I’m not surprised that he’s doing what leaders do and that’s taking the responsibility for this group.” … Boston G Marcus Smart made his fourth start of the season but coach Brad Stevens said it was more about finding a group that played well together. … Stevens also lauded the improvement of rookie swingman James Young in the weight room, practices and during individual sessions. … “He’s really improved,” Stevens said. “The biggest thing for him and I’ll be the first to tell you, it’s more of a shock to his system than he thought but he really has stayed the course.”