BOSTON — The Celtics didn’t have Jayson Tatum. The Knicks were missing Karl-Anthony Towns. Game 5’s 127-102 ugly loss to the Celtics produced another no-show until garbage time from the Knicks center, whose impact and aggressiveness in this series remains below his All-Star status.

Heading into Game 4, the New York Knicks likely hoped to see more production from their supporting cast — especially from players not named Jalen Brunson. The growing narrative that the Knicks had become overly reliant on their captain to generate offense was becoming a cause for concern.