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Celtics use fast start to blow past Knicks

Dec 8, 2013 - 8:26 PM New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - The New York Knicks may want to consider boycotting future Sunday noon tip-offs.

Jordan Crawford led six Boston players in double figures with 23 points and the Celtics pounded the Knicks, 114-73, at Madison Square Garden.

Jared Sullinger scored 21 points and Brandon Bass and Jeff Green both supplied 16 points for Boston, which got off to a quick start and cruised to its third straight win. Avery Bradley added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

"They know I'm not going to do cartwheels. They know me better than that," Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said about not overreacting to the lopsided win.

Carmelo Anthony had 19 points to pace the Knicks, who were undone by a horrific first quarter in which they were outscored 34-11.

"I wish I could explain it. Didn't see that coming," said New York head coach Mike Woodson.

New York, which had won two straight on the heels of a nine-game slide, were sluggish in a 120-89 beatdown by visiting San Antonio on November 10, another Sunday contest that started at noon.

The Knicks' shooting matched the cold temperatures outside as they made only 34.2 percent from the field. The numbers were even more frigid in a first quarter to forget.

Boston opened the game on a 12-0 run and were up 18-1 after a Sullinger trey. New York didn't register its first field goal until an Anthony dunk with 5:45 remaining.

The Knicks shot 22.2 percent in the frame, and the deficit only got larger.

Boston was up 58-31 at halftime and led by as many as 45 in the fourth quarter.

Game Notes

The teams met for the first time since the Knicks beat the Celtics in six games last season in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals ... Courtney Lee had 10 points for Boston ... Bass posted eight rebounds and three steals ... Crawford had seven assists ... Amare Stoudemire scored 17 points for New York.