Luke Kornet threw a block party in Game 5.
Luke Kornet threw a block party in Game 5.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
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Hello đ Welcome back to Garden Party, a newsletter that canât stop barking for some reason?
Do you hear ... barking?
Donât worry; you donât need to get your ears checked. Thatâs just the sound of 19,000 Celtics fans sounding off at Luke Kornet, who came off the bench for 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 (seven!) blocks in the Celticsâ 127-102 win over the Knicks.
Perhaps emboldened by the election of a new Pope (Kornet is a Catholic and has a defunct blog on which he reviews churches he visits while on the road), the man performed miracles in the second half, including an electric fourth-quarter sequence that featured a ferocious block on Josh Hart on one end and an alley-oop, reverse dunk on the other that got the TD Garden crowd on its paws â I mean feet.
âI was barking with him,â Derrick White said after the game. âItâs just fun to see him do that.â
The barking celebration originated in Game 1 of last yearâs Eastern Conference semifinal against Cleveland, when Kornet corralled an offensive rebound, drew a foul, and began barking at the Cavsâ bench. It snowballed this year, growing into an arena-wide celebration every time Kornet makes a big play.
Kornet made plenty of them on Wednesday, and the Celtics live to see another game.
Woof woof, indeed. Letâs get into it.
About last night and whatâs on deck
The Swiss Army Knife Celtics
With no Jayson Tatum, the Celtics needed a little of everything from all of their players â and thatâs what they got.
Six Celtics (Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, White, and Luke Kornet) hit double figures, led by 34 points from White and 26 points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds from Brown. Brown even did his best Marcus Smart impression, diving into the Celtics bench for a loose ball and tipping it to Kornet to keep it inbounds.
But it wasnât all sunshine and rainbows. New York was a thorn in Bostonâs side all night, leading by 2 after the first quarter and getting things tied up by halftime. Boston began to pull away in the third, then extended its lead in the fourth, but it wasnât until the final minutes that the Knicks looked like they were out of it.
Josh Hart led the scoring for New York with 24, and Jalen Brunson had 22 before fouling out in the fourth quarter. He made sure to wave to the crowd when he was shown on the TD Garden Jumbotron after his sixth foul, which, of course, drew raucous booing.
The win keeps Bostonâs title defense hopes alive, as the Celtics will head down to whatâs sure to be a hostile Madison Square Garden on Friday for Game 6.
Don't get in Luke Kornet's way when he's got a full head of steam.
Don't get in Luke Kornet's way when he's got a full head of steam.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
End of the road for Warriors, Golden Knights, Toronto Sceptres
Hereâs what you may have missed Wednesday night.
đ The Warriorsâ season came to an end with a 121-110 loss to Minnesota in Game 5. The Timberwolves are headed to their second straight Western Conference finals.
đ Ah, Brad Marchand â remember that guy? The former Bruin seems to have found greener pastures. His Florida Panthers steamrolled his longtime nemesis, Toronto, in a 6-1 win in Game 5. (The Lilâ Ball oâ Hate contributed an assist in the win.) Florida now has a 3-2 edge and can close it out at home on Friday.
đ A scrum in front of the Vegas crease resulted in an overtime goal from Kasperi Kapanen, and the Oilers won, 1-0, to take the series in five games. Theyâll play the winner of the Dallas-Winnipeg series, which the Stars lead 3-1.
đ Kendall Coyne Schofield scored late in the third period to force overtime, and Taylor Heise scored the winner as the Minnesota Frost hung on to beat Toronto, 4-3, in the first round of the PWHL playoffs. The Frost will continue their pursuit of a second straight Walter Cup against the winner of the Montreal-Ottawa series, which continues Friday.
đïž Up next: This Eastern Conference semifinal will head back to New York Friday for Game 6 at Madison Square Garden.
In the know
Christopher L. Gasper on the Celticsâ most crucial pieces
Derrick White serves up a triple to go with a side of sass.
Derrick White serves up a triple to go with a side of sass.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
We caught up withChristopher L. Gasper, a Globe columnist who covers the Celtics (among other things). Hereâs what he said about their chances in this series.
Emma: It was a huge game for a number of Celtics, with six players in double figures in Jayson Tatumâs absence. Whose contribution do you think was most crucial to the win?
**Chris:**Itâs tough. There were a lot of guys that really stepped up.
I thought Jaylen Brown stepped up in terms of his distributing. And then how can you not look at what Kornet did coming off the bench, having to play when Kristaps Porzingis was unable to go. Coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis couldnât breathe. He just played 12 minutes in the first half, and he wasnât particularly effective. The Knicks have hurt them with that double big lineup, and Kornet was able to come off the bench. He had 7 blocks, 5 in the third quarter, 10 points, 9 rebounds â sort of that unsung hero guy.
You knew you needed a big night from Jaylen, you got that. You knew you needed a big night from White, you got that. But you werenât expecting to get what you got from Kornet for sure.
Emma: Coming into Game 5, what was your prediction for the series? And did that change at all after seeing what you saw on Wednesday?
Chris: I thought the Celtics would win this game tonight, because for the Knicks, itâs human nature to let up a little bit. And with Tatum being out, they let up a little bit. And when I looked at the Celtics, I think sometimes people forget you still have an All-NBA wing, you still have All-Star caliber players in White and Holiday, and you have the Sixth Man of the Year in Pritchard. So yeah, you donât have a top five player in Tatum, but itâs not like youâre completely bereft of talent.
And even when you watch the game and you watch Game 5, I didnât look out there and think, âOh my God, the Celtics are totally outmanned.â I thought it was still pretty even from a talent standpoint.
So I thought they would win this game, but the challenge will be Game 6, because thatâs basically going to be do or die for both teams. I think the Knicks know if they lose that game, itâs really dicey to have to come back [to Boston], and the pressure shifts to them. The Celtics, obviously, they canât afford another loss. Look, only 13 teams in the history of the NBA have come back from 3-1 down. It is a tremendous climb, but theyâve given themselves an opportunity.
For the group chat
Lisan al Gaib
It's no use, Joe!
It's no use, Joe!Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Death, taxes, and Timothée Chalamet courtside at Knicks games.
The 29-year-old actor (who you may know as Paul Atreides in âDune,â Bob Dylan in âA Complete Unknown,â and Theodore âLaurieâ Laurence in âLittle Women,â which is, in my opinion, the greatest film adaptation of a book of all time outside the Harry Potter universe, but I digress), is a native New Yorker and a diehard Knicks fan, and heâs been in attendance for each of the last three games of this series.
Chalamet, who had been in Rome just days earlier, was introduced on the Madison Square Garden Jumbotron in Game 3 following a clip of his performance in âDune: Part Two,â and the crowd went nuts. For Game 4, he brought his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, along. (Youâd be shocked to learn Jenner did not make the trip north for Game 5).
Before Game 5, Chalamet posted a video to his Instagram story declaring that he was behind enemy lines, seated courtside at TD Garden, but by the end of the game, the post had been removed. He replaced it with an image of a black background with the number 6 on it.
But his beloved Knickerbockers are 1-2 in games Chalamet has attended this series, so perhaps his favorite team would prefer if he sat this next one out.
Go deeper
Three stories you shouldnât miss
Get that weak stuff outta here.
Get that weak stuff outta here.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
đ¶ Woof woof: Luke Kornet has become a bit of a folk hero for Celtics fans, but on Wednesday, he played the role of hero on the court as well. Christopher L. Gasper has more on the big manâs big night.
đȘ Pressureâs on: The Celtics won Game 5 with small adjustments and unselfish play. Now, the pressure is on the Knicks, Gary Washburn writes.
𧊠Donât let âem win one: The Celtics heard the rumblings that their season was as good as over and responded loudly in Game 5. Even Julian Edelman was reminded of a famous moment in Boston sports history from the 2004 Red Sox. Now, Dan Shaughnessy has a question: Who wears the bloody sock in Game 6?
Emma Healy can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com or on X @ByEmmaHealy.