The New York Knicks had an early 20-point lead, but collapsed in the fourth quarter and lost to the Boston Celtics, 109-98. Boston outscored New York, 29-15, in the final quarter, after trailing from 7:37 in the first quarter to 11:17 in the fourth quarter.
Knicks rookie Chris Copeland led all scorers with 34 points, shooting 11-of-18 from the floor and 3-4 from behind the three-point line. Shooting guard James White chipped in 16 points and forced five steals, while Pablo Prigioni collected 15 points and nine assists. Jeff Green led Boston with 25 points and six rebounds, while Jason Terry went 4-6 from beyond the arc and scored 22 points.
Mike Woodson and Doc Rivers opted to rest most of their veteran players. The Knicks starting frontline of Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler all rested, as did back-ups Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby. Woodson chose to rest most of his regular guards as well, as Jason Kidd, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Ronnie Brewer all did not play. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were the notable Celtics to not suit up, along with Brandon Bass and Avery Bradley.