Evan Fournier had a brief, mostly forgettable stint with the Boston Celtics last season after the trade deadline before departing as a free agent.
Whatever transpired over Fournier's 16 regular season games in green, it sure seems to have inspired him to take his game to another level or 10 when he's faced them with the New York Knicks.
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In three games against Boston this season, Fournier has basically been late-'80s Michael Jordan crossed with mid-2010s Steph Curry on the offensive side of the floor. The 29-year-old Frenchman is averaging 35 points per game on 54.1% shooting from 3-point range against the C's since leaving for Madison Square Garden.
Fournier dropped a game-high 41 points in Thursday night's win for the Knicks, the latest embarrassing defeat for the Celtics, connecting on 15 of 25 shots from the floor -- including 10 of 14 from 3-point range.
For his career, Fournier is a respectable enough 37.8% 3-point shooter and a 44.7% shooter overall, averaging a fine 14.2 points per game over 10 NBA seasons with the Knicks, Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic. He's never made an All-Star team, even if he's looked like a first-ballot Hall of Famer whenever New York has faced Boston.
Boston Celtics
Mercifully, Fournier and the Knicks have only one game left against the Celtics this season, this Saturday at TD Garden.