12 hours ago
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BOSTON — Jose Alvarado officially arrived at the end of the third quarter.
The newest Knick was switched onto Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who saw the size mismatch and tried to back down Alvarado into the paint.
Alvarado, generously listed at 6 feet, didn’t back down. He took the contact, waited for Brown to turn for the shot, stripped it clean and turned to the Knicks bench for a hometown flex. It was his first steal in orange and blue and the highlight of a successful debut, an 111-89 victory over the rival Celtics in Sunday’s pre-Super Bowl matinee.
Jose Alvarado #5 of the Knicks knocks the ball away from Payton Pritchard #11 of the Celtics during the second quarter on Feb. 8, 2026. Getty ImagesAlvarado scored 12 points with two steals in 25 minutes on 5-for-12 shooting. His other steal — this one in the fourth quarter — was also splendid. He airballed a 3-pointer from the corner, recovered to sneak behind Brown for a strip, and buried a lay-up before yelling at the Celtics bench.
Welcome to the Alvarado experience.
The Brooklyn-bred ball of energy arrived as advertised, providing a feisty defensive presence to muck up the game and help Jalen Brunson, who pummeled the Celtics with 31 points in 33 minutes.
The victory moved the Knicks (34-19) into a tie with the Celtics (34-19) for second in the East.
And it was impressive.
The Knicks were again missing OG Anunoby, who sat his second straight game with a sore toe. Without Anunoby — New York’s top defender — Mikal Bridges took the assignment of guarding Jaylen Brown, who struggled while missing 14 of his 25 shot attempts.
Karl-Anthony Towns returned from a one-game absence because of a laceration above his eye. The Knicks center said the cut — which occurred in last week’s double OT victory over the Nuggets — required 16 stitches.
Jose Alvarado #5 of the New York Knicks drives to the basket against the Celtics on Feb. 8, 2026. NBAE via Getty ImagesTowns also wore goggles for the first time in his career, revealing the black-rimmed set is the same model used by Amar’e Stoudemire — and still stored by the Knicks. But they didn’t last long. Towns didn’t wear the goggles in the second half. He also struggled with just 11 points on 3-for-9 shooting, including zero 3-pointers and three turnovers.
The Knicks were coming off a disheartening blowout defeat Friday to the conference-leading Pistons, who squeezed the breath out of New York’s offense.
It didn’t take long for it to come back to life in Boston. The Knicks scored 35 points in the first quarter, with Brunson contributing 15.
Alvarado, Hart (19 points) and Mo Diawara (10 points) helped the rest of the way.
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