Celtics dominate Knicks in season opener behind prolific three-point ...
During the Celtics' ring ceremony pre-game, Joe Mazzulla stopped and kissed the court as he walked out to receive his ring. When asked what the court tasted like, he replied with another vintage response.
"Blood," he said.
Despite the blowout loss, several New York Knicks rookies logged their first NBA minutes on opening night. Pacome Dadiet, Tyler Kolek and Ariel Hukporti each made their NBA debut, with both Kolek and Dadiet knocking down a three-pointer.
While the Celtics' shooting performance will be the main takeaway tonight, the Knicks offense showed potential in their first regular season action together. New York shot 55.1 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from deep, led by 22 points from both Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 12 points on 5-9 shooting and after a scoreless first half, Mikal Bridges finished with 16 points including two three-pointers.
Similar to Jayson Tatum, Derrick White enters this season fresh off a hefty extension, and he looked like the same player Celtics' fans have fallen in love with over the last few years. White finished as Boston's second-leading scorer with 24 points on 6-10 shooting from deep. He also added three rebounds, four assists and a steal in typical Derrick White fashion.
After tinkering with his jump shot throughout the summer, Jayson Tatum was not bashful in showing off his new jumper tonight. From the opening minutes, Tatum was launching from long range, setting the tone for a prolific night by the Celtics.
He finished with 37 points, including 8-11 shooting from deep. More impressive, a majority of these triples came off the dribble and over Knicks contests.
End of Q4 Knicks 109-132 Celtics
While the Boston fans clamored for one more shot from three in hopes of breaking the single-game record, the Celtics do the right thing and dribble out the clock as they improve to 1-0 on the young season. Hard to imagine a better performance from a defending champion to start a season.
Getty Images
"I'm surprised we missed every 3 for the last 8 minutes. We're going to be upset about that," Jayson Tatum in his TNT walk off interview.
Can you imagine the pain in Payton Pritchard’s soul having to dribble out the clock there instead of chucking up one last 3 for the record?
The Celtics have 29 made 3s and the Knicks have taken 30 3s.
This is pure entertainment. The Celtics have now missed 13 3-pointers in a row as they aim to break the record.
Q4 55.7 Knicks 109-132 Celtics
With every three-pointer missed by the Celtics in the last few minutes, and there have been many, the Celtics crowd has let out an audible groan. Boston still needs one more three-pointer to break the single-game record and it's getting late.
This is getting pretty funny with the Celtics piling up misses, including several bad ones, as they aim for the last 3-pointer they need to break a tie for the NBA record. The crowd is chanting "one more three."
Boston still needs one more 3 to break the single-game record. As time winds down, I wonder if Tom Thibodeau will do what then-Warriors coach Mark Jackson did more than a decade ago when the Rockets were in this position. One could argue the Warriors' decision then to intentionally foul to prevent Houston from setting the single-game 3-point record set the era-defining Rockets-Warriors rivalry in motion.
Q4 4:20 Knicks 107-130 Celtics
Looks like both sides have emptied their benches here in Boston. The Celtics reserves are firing away from deep chasing this record but have not succeeded yet. In the meantime, the Knicks have cut the lead to 23 points and Joe Mazzulla calls timeout.
One away from the first game ever with 30 3-pointers made.
NBA 3-point line went down in 1979. They moved it in for the 1994-95 season. They moved the line above the break back to the original distance in 1997.
History about to be established in the first game out of 1,230 this regular season.
Overlooked stat for the Celtics tonight: Just three turnovers so far. Especially for a regular season opener, they have played an incredibly clean game. That was a staple of their offense last season, when they led the league in turnover rate.
Getty Images
With a right-corner three from Al Horford, the Boston Celtics have now tied the single-game three-pointer record with 29 makes. With still over eight minutes remaining, the record previously held by the Bucks is in grave danger.
Getty Images
Q4 9:54 Knicks 91-121 Celtics
Boston seems like they're hunting the single-game three-point record here, now just one make away from tying the all-time NBA record. Feels very likely at this point.
The biggest individual takeaway for the Celtics tonight is Derrick White’s scoring holding up after his breakout season. Players often have a year where they catch fire and then lose their touch over the offseason, but he looks better than ever.
