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. 

On Wednesday, the Celtics felt so comfortable about KAT’s height advantage they used their 6-foot-4 point guard, Jrue Holiday, to defend the 7-footer on the perimeter. Luke Kornet then doubled Towns if he got too close to the basket. 

It worked exquisitely for Joe Mazzulla, who benefitted from a spirited effort from the Celtics in the aftermath of Tatum’s Achilles exploding.