BOSTON — Jayson Tatum led the celebration of Boston’s 18th championship banner by scoring 37 points and hitting eight of the Celtics’ record-tying 29 three-pointers on Tuesday night, as the team cruised to a 132-109 triumph over the New York Knicks in the season opener.
Derrick White contributed significantly with 24 points, while Jaylen Brown added 23. Tatum also recorded 10 assists for the defending champions. The pre-game atmosphere was electric as the Celtics honored their latest NBA title by raising the banner, and they built a commanding lead, stretching it to as much as 35 points during the game. However, as they attempted to set a new record, they notably missed their final 13 three-point attempts.
On the Knicks’ side, Jalen Brunson scored 22 points, but their new player, Karl-Anthony Towns, had a modest contribution of 12 points and seven rebounds.
As the Celtics surged ahead by over 20 points in the third quarter, the focus of the TD Garden crowd shifted momentarily; they began chanting “Yankees Suck!” as the game unfolded.
Observations reveal that the revamped Knicks were anticipated to pose a serious challenge to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. Despite the summer acquisitions of Towns and Mikal Bridges, they struggled to keep pace with a Celtics team that outperformed them by a margin of 14 games last season.
A pivotal moment to note is from July 28, when U.S. Olympic coach Steve Kerr opted to bench Tatum for a game against Serbia. This decision appears to have fueled Tatum’s motivation for the Celtics’ title defense this season.
A significant aspect of the game was the Celtics’ shooting streak. They made their 29th three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, but shortly after, they struggled to find the basket, resulting in two missed attempts and 13 consecutive misses from beyond the arc. The fans rallied in the closing minutes, chanting “One more 3!” as the team looked to break the record set by Milwaukee in 2020. However, during Boston’s final possession, Payton Pritchard ran down the shot clock, and the team ended the game without another successful three-point shot.
Looking ahead, the Celtics will travel to Washington for their next game on Thursday, while the Knicks are set to host the Indiana Pacers in their home opener on Friday.