NEW YORK — Many teams cannot overcome nights when they are not precise or crisp or connected. But some teams have singular players capable of making up for flaws elsewhere, as the Celtics do with Kyrie Irving.
For Irving’s teammates, and even for his coach, this season has been a learning experience. Boston’s system is not necessarily designed around Irving, but the team also understands there will be moments when it is best to simply get out of his way.
That is what the Celtics did at times against the Knicks on Saturday, and that was prudent. The All-Star point guard had his most complete game of this season, tallying 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting, along with 9 rebounds and 8 assists, as the Celtics grabbed a 121-112 win, their second in a row.
“Put him on a platform in Madison Square Garden,’’ forward Jaylen Brown said, “and, you know, it’s showtime.’’
Coach Brad Stevens said the Celtics have done a better job of understanding how to complement Irving when he is slicing up an opponent.
Sometimes they should space the floor and let him work, sometimes they should set screens, and sometimes they should even be aware that he needs to take a possession to catch his breath.
It is also important that they stay engaged and do not get caught just watching him because he will find them, too, just as he did when he flipped a behind-the-back pass to Brown for a thunderous dunk on a fast break, putting the finishing touches on this win.
The Knicks did what they could to stop Irving, but they could not do nearly enough. They are not alone in this frustration, of course.
“You can’t get the ball from him,’’ New York coach Jeff Hornacek said. “We tried to trap, and he sees it coming. He has the three, all the hesitations and drives to the basket. The flip shots, too. Tough guy to deal with when he gets on a roll.’’
Irving was mostly unfazed by his performance afterward. He leaned against a table in the locker room as he was surrounded by a throng of reporters and looked as excited as someone who had just sat in gum on a subway. This look is not new for him, of course, as both stirring games and clunkers have been met with the same, steady countenance.
“It’s about us right now,’’ Irving said. “That’s where that stands. We just want to find that consistency. And then we keep hammering on it.’’
These Knicks were likely a lottery-bound team anyway, and then last month’s season-ending injury to All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis essentially switched that notion from probable to imminent. But for much of the night, this game did not appear to be the mismatch that it probably should have been.
“I mean, we did OK in a lot of areas,’’ Stevens said. “We made some mistakes. We’ve got to play a little bit cleaner, probably, but obviously second night of a back-to-back, I thought the energy and competitive spirit was great all 96 minutes that we played this weekend.’’
Brown added 24 points for the Celtics, and Al Horford chipped in with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Burke had 26 points off the bench to lead New York.
Shane Larkin had a brief stint after missing 10 games with a sore knee, and Marcus Smart played his second consecutive game after being sidelined for a month with a lacerated hand, and the Celtics were encouraged by the fact that they are nearing full strength again.
“Having everybody back, we have to consistently throw punches and wear teams down,’’ Brown said.
The Celtics missed eight of their first nine shots, and Burke entered the game and scored 7 points in the final 57 seconds of the first quarter to give the Knicks a 24-23 lead. Burke’s hot start rolled into the second quarter, as his 3-point play with 7:15 left gave New York a 38-30 advantage.
But back-to-back 3-point plays by Irving and Jayson Tatum sparked an 11-3 Celtics run that helped them take a 59-56 lead to halftime.
With the Celtics ahead, 70-69, they turned to Irving to create space. The All-Star hit a 3-pointer, then came up with a steal and coasted in for a floater. After a Knicks basket, Irving then drilled back-to-back 3-pointers, giving him 11 points over a stretch of just 1:21, giving Boston an 81-71 lead.
In the third quarter alone, Irving had 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. But he was on the bench at the start of the fourth, and the Knicks charged back to within 94-92.
Then Irving re-entered the game and settled his team once more. He hit another 3-pointer, then grabbed a rebound that led to a Terry Rozier basket, and then carved through the lane and found Horford for a 3-pointer, and just like that the lead was stretched back to 106-96.
“I did think we played hard both nights, and certainly we can build off of that,’’ Stevens said. “But we’re not in it for two games, we’re in it for the last 23. So we’ve just got to keep adding to it and building on it.’’
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.
