Celtics blow out Knicks, flirt with NBA history

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics raised their championship banner Tuesday night to close the book on last season, and then sent a statement to the rest of the NBA with a 132-109 blowout win over the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
That statement? These Celtics are not happy with just one title.
The Knicks spent the offseason bulking up their roster to compete with the Celtics, acquiring Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. But Boston had no issues with New York on Tuesday night, leading by as many as 35 points in the second half.
Jayson Tatum led the charge for the Celtics with 37 points, while Jaylen Brown chipped in with 23 points and seven rebounds. Derrick White added 24 points, and Jrue Holiday scored 18 points off 7-of-9 shooting for Boston.
The Celtics let it fly from downtown and nearly set a new NBA record for the most three-pointers made in a game, hitting 29 of their 61 shots from deep. Boston tied the NBA record when Al Horford (11 points) hit a three with 8:54 left in the game, but then the Celtics missed 13 straight from downtown.
The Celtics had one final chance to go for the record on their final possession, but Joe Mazzulla had Payton Pritchard dribble out for a shot-clock violation to close the lopsided affair. So no 3-point record for the Celtics on the NBA’s Opening Night — just a very convincing victory over the team that was supposed to be their stiffest competition in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks may get there at some point. But the Celtics showed why they are title favorites once again on Opening Night.
Just about everything was falling for the Celtics from deep over the first three quarters. They hit 10-of-17 in the first quarter and 17-of-32 by halftime. An 18th made three in the first half would have been extremely fitting, because it would have set a new franchise record.
Boston had 26 made threes through three quarters and held a 113-87 lead over New York. Horford hit a three with 8:54 in the fourth quarter for Boston’s 29th make from deep, which tied the NBA record set by the 2020 Milwaukee Bucks.
Then the Celtics missed their final 13 three-point attempts of the night. Boston was just 3-of-16 from deep in the fourth quarter, and saw their shooting percentage plummet from the 60 percent to 47.5 percent.
But that just gives Mazzulla something to shoot for (pun intended) throughout the season. And you better believe these Celtics are going to take a boatload of threes every night. Opening Night’s 61 three-point attempts was just a preview of what’s to come this season. The Celtics led the NBA in both threes made (1,351) and attempted (3,482) last season.
The Knicks didn’t shoot terribly to open the game, but they had no chance at keeping up with Boston’s volume of threes. New York was just 4-of-14 from deep in the first half.
Overall, seven Celtics hit a three on Tuesday night. Boston’s starters shot 26-of-41 from deep, while Pritchard and Sam Hauser were just 3-of-16 off the bench.
The Celtics obviously aren’t always going to be that hot from deep, but they proved last year that they can win in different ways. And when they are scorching hot from downtown, the Celtics are unbeatable.
Whether it was every really broken or not, Jayson Tatum’s jumper is just fine right now. He erupted for 15 points in the first quarter and hit five of his first seven shots, including 4-of-6 from downtown. He also had five assists in the opening frame as the Celtics raced out to a 43-24 lead over the first 12 minutes. 
Tatum had six made threes by halftime to tie his own career high, and went to the locker room with 25 points and six assists. He scored his 37 points off 14-of-18 shooting, including 8-of-11 from downtown. He was quick with his release and his jumper looked smooth throughout.
Tatum also had a game-high 10 assists and four rebounds in the Boston victory.
Defense matters too in Boston, and the Celtics were pretty good on that end of the floor. Every starter had a steal, and Luke Kornet added one off the bench. Overall, the Celtics forced the Knicks into 12 turnovers, and turned those into 19 points.
In addition to a swipe that led to an easy dunk, Brown played some hounding defense on Jalen Brunson in the third quarter to force an 8-second violation. Tatum hit a three on Boston’s next possession.
On the flip side, the Celtics turned the ball over just four times.
Before the game, the Celtics raised their 2023-24 NBA Championship banner to the TD Garden rafters and collected their championship rings.
The Celtics now have 18 titles in franchise history, giving them the most in the NBA. Last year’s title broke a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers, who sit at 17 titles.
Boston’s focus is now squarely on winning Banner 19.