New York, NY (Sports Network) – Amare Stoudemire’s shot didn’t count. Paul Pierce’s dagger four tenths of a second earlier did.
Pierce drained a contested jumper off a high screen with 0.4 ticks remaining to put Boston in front. After a timeout, Stoudemire’s three-pointer from the top of the key came just after the buzzer, as the Celtics outlasted the red-hot New York Knicks, 118-116, at Madison Square Garden.
Pierce scored 32 points on 10-of-18 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. Ray Allen added 26 points, including four treys, and Kevin Garnett posted 20 points and 13 rebounds for Boston, which won its 11th straight game.
Stoudemire matched a season high with 39 points, his ninth straight game of at least 30 points. Raymond Felton added 26 points and 14 assists, while Danilo Gallinari collected 20 points for the Knicks, who saw their eight-game winning streak come to an end in heartwrenching fashion.