It wasn’t just Jaylen Brown’s 42-point eruption that lifted the Celtics past the Knicks on Tuesday night - though that certainly didn’t hurt. What really told the story at TD Garden was something deeper, something this Boston team has been trying to cultivate all season: meaningful depth.
Yes, Brown was electric, bouncing back from a quiet night in Cleveland with a blistering 66.7% shooting performance. But for all his scoring, the Celtics needed more - and they got it from just about everyone in uniform.
This wasn’t the same Celtics team that started the season with major question marks around its supporting cast. Five weeks after their last matchup with the Knicks, Boston and New York had taken diverging paths - even if their win totals were identical over that stretch.
The Knicks had become one of the league’s most potent offensive machines, averaging 121.4 points per game (fourth in the NBA). The Celtics?
They’d been on a rollercoaster, trying to find their rhythm through a mix of encouraging wins and frustrating losses.
But riding the momentum of recent victories over the Pistons and Cavaliers, Boston showed up on Tuesday night with something that looked and felt like a turning point - not just in the standings, but in identity.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla leaned into his bench, going 11 deep and trusting his role players in key moments. Josh Minott, Anfernee Simons, Hugo González, and Sam Hauser all logged more than 18 minutes.
Jordan Walsh, starting for the ninth straight game, continued to carve out his niche as a gritty, high-energy contributor. And while Brown’s scoring led the way, it was those names - the ones who don’t always dominate headlines - who helped the Celtics close out a 123-117 win in a game that had the feel of a playoff preview.
Walsh, in particular, made his presence felt in the fourth quarter. His final line - 8 points and 6 rebounds - doesn’t scream “game-changer,” but the impact was undeniable. He grabbed three offensive rebounds in the final frame, hit all three of his shots in the quarter, and forced a critical turnover from Jalen Brunson with under five minutes to go, helping Boston preserve an eight-point cushion.
“To me, the last six minutes of the game, he was just a great playmaker,” Mazzulla said postgame. “He had the offensive rebounds, he made plays in the seam, and he was great at the point of attack offensively.”
That’s the kind of praise Walsh has been earning more and more of lately - not just for the stats, but for the way he plays. His defensive intensity, the very trait that got him drafted out of Arkansas, is finally translating into consistent minutes and trust from the coaching staff.
It’s been a grind for Walsh to get here, and he knows it. Before tipoff, he had a conversation with his agent that now feels like a full-circle moment.
“Pregame tonight, I was talking to my agent,” Walsh said. “He was like, ‘Remember when we sat down earlier last month?’
and he said, ‘It’s gonna happen. It’s gonna happen.’
I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s gonna happen. You work hard, you’ll get rewarded.’”
And rewarded he was - by being on the floor in crunch time of a big win, doing the little things that win games.
He wasn’t alone. Minott and González combined for 11 rebounds, with Minott knocking down open threes and playing strong perimeter defense.
Hauser hit a pair of timely triples. Simons chipped in with steady shot-making.
Altogether, the bench group delivered 33 points - a balanced, team-first effort that kept the Knicks from mounting a late surge.
Even Knicks head coach Mike Brown tipped his cap to Boston’s role players.
“The unsung heroes are the guys who really impacted the game,” Brown said. “Josh Minott did a great job knocking down open threes when the ball got swung to him.
He did a nice job defensively. Even Sam Hauser - his two threes were really big for them.
Jordan Walsh impacted the game at a high level with his four offensive rebounds. I thought he had a really good game.
We just couldn’t get it done defensively in the fourth.”
That fourth quarter was where Boston’s depth truly showed up. While Brown and Derrick White (who added 22 points of his own) carried the scoring load, it was the collective contributions from the bench that gave the Celtics the edge. They didn’t just hold the line - they helped win the game.
For González, it was about staying ready and seizing the opportunity.
“They’re putting trust in me, putting trust in a lot of guys here, and being able to contribute to winning is truly a great feeling,” he said.
Back in October, that kind of trust wasn’t a given. This Celtics roster had been overhauled.
Three starters were gone. Jayson Tatum was sidelined indefinitely.
Several offseason additions came with more questions than answers. Depth was a concern - and rightfully so.
But 21 games in, that narrative is starting to shift. Boston now sits just one game behind the fifth-seeded Magic in the Eastern Conference standings, and they’re doing it with a rotation that’s beginning to look like a real strength.
Tuesday’s win wasn’t just about beating the Knicks or quieting a courtside Spike Lee. It was about discovering something that could define this team’s season: the ability to win in different ways, with different guys.
“Depth comes from just being able to impact the game in a positive way,” Mazzulla said. “Whether it’s for one possession - Amari (Williams) goes in, fouls a guy, and saves us a point - that matters.
Finishing the game with Josh and Jordan, using different lineups, it’s just a credit to the guys for understanding that anybody can impact a segment of the game. Every possession matters, and we just have to keep getting better at it.”
This wasn’t just a win. It was a statement - not about stars, but about the strength of a team that’s starting to believe in its full roster. And if Tuesday night was any indication, the Celtics’ depth isn’t just improving - it’s becoming a weapon.