YIBADA

NBA 2016-2017 news, updates: Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks look for validation facing fierce rivals Boston Celtics on Christmas Day

| Dec 26, 2016 11:58 PM EST

Carmelo Anthony (L) attempts a shot against Marcus Smart (R) during the Knicks vs. Celtics game

Veteran Carmelo Anthony is seen as one of the finest players to ever grace the NBA hardcourt. So it does not come as a surprise that he wants as little blemishes on his distinguished career as possible and if this does happen, he will surely look to validate himself by avenging those mishaps.

One such mishap occurred in a loss to fierce rivals Boston Celtics back in November of this year. Basketball fans know how big the rivalry between these two teams are and adding to that is how close their current records for the 2016-2017 season are. The Boston Celtics are currently in the third spot of the Eastern Conference with a 17-12 record, closely followed by Anthony's Knicks and their 16-13 record, according to the NY Post.

The face-off between these two teams kicked off the NBA Christmas card. Both sets of fans were excited, as a win would be a much-wanted Christmas gift for them. However, it seemed as though Carmelo Anthony's "magic" and experience were not enough, as the Boston Celtics thoroughly dominated throughout the game.

The New York Knicks showed some glimpses of hope during their match-up against the team from Beantown, but eventually succumbed to a close defeat. Boston led by 9 points with 3 minutes left on the clock and the Knicks trailed almost the entire second half. Despite this, they fought back and even managed to catch up with Carmelo Anthony burying a lay up that tied the game at 112 with 1:06 left.

However, the Celtics' Marcus Smart buried a three-pointer from the right wing and Jae Crowder further added to their points tally by converting a couple of free throws that were conceded by non other than New York Knicks star man Carmel Anthony himself.

Al Horford turned in a dominant performance for the Boston Celtics scoring 15 points with 7-of-13 shooting. He also picked up seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks on the night, SB Nation reported. While a lot of people were expecting big things from Carmelo Anthony, and he did deliver, it was not enough to drive the New York Knicks to victory.

Watch the highlights of the Celtics vs. Knicks game below:

 

Related News

Most Popular

EDITOR'S PICK