NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 13 rebounds and the New York Knicks rode a huge second quarter to a 105-95 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday night and a 2-0 start to the season.

The Knicks outscored the Celtics 42-14 in the second quarter en route to a 64-44 halftime lead. It appeared they would blow out Boston at Madison Square Garden for the second straight time, after rolling to a 119-81 victory in Game 6 to eliminate the Celtics last season in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Knicks played a sloppy third quarter and the Celtics cut it to single digits in the fourth, but Brunson had a couple baskets to help them build back a cushion.

Jaylen Brown scored 23 points on his 29th birthday for the Celtics, who fell to 0-2. They

See Full Page