BOSTON — The Celtics’ title defense is officially off — and on ring night, they sent a statement to the rest of the league. The C’s blew out the Knicks 132-109 in historic fashion Tuesday at TD Garden. And — best of all for the fans — they did it in the most Celtics way possible with seemingly endless 3-pointers.
While the C’s and Knicks exchanged early blows, Boston overwhelmed New York in the first NBA game of the 2024-25 season. By the end of the first quarter, the Celtics had made 10 3-pointers and commanded a 43-24 lead on the new-look Knicks. It was more of the same by halftime, though the Knicks showed some strong offense in the second quarter.
Even though the Knicks scored at a solid clip, they couldn‘t keep up with a Celtics team aiming for history. As if raising Banner No. 18 wasn‘t enough, the C‘s also tied an NBA record with 29 3-pointers made Tuesday, blowing past the record of 29 makes. That allowed the C’s to comfortably cruise to the victory.
Jayson Tatum led the way with 37 points and 10 assists. Derrick White added another 24 points and four assists as he also had a huge night. Jalen Brunson had 22 points for the Knicks while Miles McBride added another 22.
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The Celtics are now 1-0 after their season-opening victory while the Knicks dropped to 0-1. They take on the Wizards on the road at 7 p.m. Thursday up next. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over New York:
Making history: The Celtics have been criticized plenty for their willingness to make plenty of 3-pointers over the past few years. But that’s also partly what allowed them to win the 2024 title. So they continued their free-shooting ways Tuesday in an impressive fashion. Boston finished 29-for-61 on 3-pointers as it was unafraid to put up the jumpers in a consistent fashion. It was one of those nights where the Celtics were shooting for history as the offensive execution was crisp right from the start of the game and season.
Jumper looks just fine: There was plenty of fanfare at the beginning of training camp about Tatum’s tweaked jumpshot. That was natural considering Tatum struggled from deep in the playoffs then Olympics. But in a loud statement — just like the rest of the team — Tatum showed that he was just fine. Tatum finished 8-for-11 on 3-pointers as there were also plenty of tough makes mixed in. While he’s not going to shoot that well all season, that was a huge first step for Tatum to start the season.
Big man rotation: As expected, Al Horford got the start Tuesday. There were some questions on if Luke Kornet could get the start considering Horford didn‘t play much in the preseason. But the C‘s went the expected route by going with Horford. Kornet (and the rest of the bigs rotation) will get plenty of playing time to start the season anyway. Horford was also productive in his minutes, putting up 11 points and five assists. Notably, Kornet was the first big off the bench. Xavier Tillman also got in on the action as the third big man. It appears Kornet and Tillman will be the guys getting those minutes even when Horford’s available.
Sending a statement: While the Celtics had all the great vibes of celebrating their 2024 title, the Knicks likely came into Tuesday hoping to ruin the night. The rest of the league was also on watch as one the presumed top East rivals would give the C‘s some trouble. Instead, the Celtics sent the league a message: They‘re the reigning champs for a reason. There will be some shortcomings over a long regular season, but for at least Tuesday, the C’s looked every bit the best team in the NBA.
