Celtics claim vital win over Knicks in game three

The Boston Celtics dominated the New York Knicks in game three to cut the deficit to 2-1 in their NBA Eastern Conference play-off semi-final.

The Celtics blew 20-point third-quarter leads in the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Boston as the Knicks mounted stunning comebacks.

But the visitors made no mistake in New York, moving into a 71-46 lead at half-time and remaining ruthless to see out a vital victory.

The Celtics rediscovered their three-point shooting ability that deserted them in the first two games, hitting 50% of their shots from beyond the arc in Madison Square Garden.

Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 23 points, while star Jayson Tatum added 22. Jalen Brunson hit a game-high 27 points for the Knicks.

Game four is in New York on Monday.