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Down 2-0, banged-up Knicks host Celtics in Game 3

Apr 22, 2011 - 2:35 PM (Sports Network) - There are no moral victories in the NBA playoffs.

The upstart New York Knicks played well in the opening two games of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series with the heavily-favored Boston Celtics but return to Madison Square Garden tonight in an 0-2 hole.

Kevin Garnett made a go-ahead hook shot with 13.3 seconds remaining on Tuesday to lift the Celtics over a shorthanded New York team, 96-93, in Game 2.

After Jared Jeffries put the Knicks up by one, 93-92, Garnett made the short hook over Jeffries to put Boston in front for good.

"I wasn't really in a nice rhythm to be honest. I was just taking what [Jeffries] was giving me," Garnett said. "I just remained calm, went to a shot that I knew I could make."

The Celtics then doubled the red-hot Carmelo Anthony, who passed down low to Jeffries. Garnett stole the ball and called a timeout with 4.1 seconds left. Delonte West then made two free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining to ensure Boston emerged with the 2-0 series lead.

"Going down the stretch, just looking at it, I probably have never been more proud of a team and how they battled the circumstances, how hard they played and how tough they played," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "[We were] mentally tough and gave ourselves a chance to win. We just didn't quite do it."

Rajon Rondo scored a playoff career-high 30 points to go with seven assists for the third-seeded Celtics, who won 87-85 in Game 1 on Sunday. Paul Pierce added 20 points.

Ray Allen, who buried a three-pointer with 11.6 seconds remaining in Sunday's Game 1, made four three-pointers en route to 18 points. Garnett ended with 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Anthony put New York on his back, tying a playoff career-high with 42 points. He also had 17 boards and six assists for the Knicks, who were without guard Chauncey Billups (knee) and lost All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire during the game to back spasms.

"The Celtics didn't do anything special, they won two games on their home court," Anthony said. "Now it's our turn to do the same thing."

Stoudemire left in the second quarter and never returned.

"We won the game. That's all we got out of that," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "They had no Stoudemire, no [Chauncey] Billups ... They played hard. We were lucky to win."

Toney Douglas, starting in place of Billups, had 14 points and seven rebounds for New York, which hasn't won a playoff game since 2001.

Stoudemire missed practice Thursday but has been listed as probable while Billups is being called questionable but is more of a long shot to play.

The Celtics have dominated the Knicks in recent years, winning 16 of their last 18 regular season games versus New York, including a four-game sweep this season that included a 112-102 win in the regular season finale.

In the playoffs, this rivalry dates all the way back to 1950-51 when New York swept Boston in a three-game Eastern semifinals set. The Knicks also won a five-game set the last time the two hooked up in the postseason, 1989-90. Overall the clubs have met 13 times, with the Celtics taking seven of the series.

Game 4 of the series will also be in MSG on Easter Sunday.