After 4 months with out the NBA, the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks opened the 2024-25 season. In what may foreshadow the Jap Convention Finals, the Celtics defeated the Knicks 132-109.
The evening began nice for Boston and Celtics followers around the globe as they lifted Banner 18 into the rafters and the gamers and training employees acquired their championship rings. With Celtics legends Bob Cousy, Cedric Maxwell, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce bringing out the 2024 Larry O’Brien Trophy.
After the celebrations, it was time for motion.
The sport began with Jayson burying a 3 to ignite the group. Boston bought early three-pointers to fall from Tatum, Al Horford, and Derrick White to take an early 11-8 lead. The Knicks made their first three photographs. A White nook three led to Tom Thibodeau calling the primary outing with 9:26 left within the first quarter.
An enormous query was to see how the Celtics matched up with KAT and it was Jrue Vacation who drew that project with Horford on Mikal Bridges.
The Celtics dictated the tempo of the sport which all began on the defensive finish and pushing the ball. On offense, #MazzullaBall was in full impact as Boston’s ball motion stored the Knicks guessing and left gamers open for 3. Halfway by means of the primary quarter all however Jrue Vacation hit a three-pointer to present Boston a 21-12 lead, due to an 8-0 run.
The Celtics began the sport drilling seven of their first 13 threes, with Tatum’s new and improved shot sinking 5 of them himself. The Knicks needed to name a timeout with 2:28 left within the first after Tatum drilled back-to-back threes to present Boston a 30-17 lead.
The Celtics completed the quarter on a 30-11 run. Tatum led the way in which scoring 15 factors (4-of-6 from deep). Seven totally different gamers made a 3 to present Boston a 43-24 lead after the primary quarter. Boston shot 59% from the sphere which incorporates 10 threes after the primary quarter.
Celtics are the primary staff in NBA historical past to make 9 three-pointers within the first quarter of a season-opener!
The file was 7, by 6 groups
— Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) October 23, 2024
The Knicks began the second quarter taking part in with extra aggression on protection. However regardless of higher protection, the Celtics continued to maneuver the ball and seize offensive rebounds main to 3 open threes for Horford, Vacation, and Brown to increase its result in 22 (52-30) with 7:40 remaining within the half.
The one Knicks participant who confirmed something offensively was Miles McBride who began the sport 5-for-5 for 14 factors.
Derrick White continued the onslaught with beneath 4 minutes remaining as he drilled back-to-back threes to present Boston a 65-41 lead.
Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Cities began to warmth up for the Knicks late within the half. Regardless of Brunson’s 15 factors on 6-of-7 taking pictures and Cities’ 12 factors, the Knicks trailed 74-55 on the half.
The Knicks shot the ball properly, 57.9%, however Boston went 17-of-32 from three, whereas the Knicks shot 4-of-14.
Coming into tonight, no staff within the play-by-play period made greater than 13 three-pointers within the 1st half of a season-opener.
The Celtics have destroyed that file tonight!
— Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) October 23, 2024
Nobody may guard Tatum as he completed the half with 25 factors on 9-of-12 taking pictures (6-of-9 from three). Tatum and his coach, Drew Hanlen, talked about Tatum tweaking his three-point shot and the proof is within the pudding after that half.
The three-point barrage continued for Boston as Jaylen Brown and Derrick White hit back-to-back threes to begin the third quarter. A few minutes later, Vacation buries a transition three to present Boston an 83-57 lead, forcing one other Knicks timeout lower than three minutes into the second half.
The threes wouldn’t cease as Jaylen Brown knocked down the staff’s twenty fourth three-pointer made it a 29-point lead (99-70) with 5:26 remaining within the third.
With two minutes left within the third quarter, Boston set an NBA Opening Evening file with 25 made threes.
The Knicks performed properly offensively, they simply couldn’t defend a statue and Boston took full benefit. Let the Celtics shoot open threes at your personal peril.
Boston completed the third quarter main 113-87. Boston made 26 three-pointers and solely had two turnovers, a recipe that may as a rule have success.
The fourth quarter was all however a formality.
Hauser began the quarter with, you guessed it! A 3-pointer from the highest of the arc made it 27 made threes, simply two away from tying the Milwaukee Bucks file of 29 three-pointers made in a sport.
Then it was Brown on the very subsequent possession hitting a 3 to make it one away from the file. The record-tying three was made by Al Horford from the nook with 8:52 remaining within the quarter.
When Boston tied the file, they missed their subsequent 12 three-point makes an attempt as the group anxiously waited to witness historical past.
Sadly for the followers, the file by no means got here because the Celtics determined to not shoot on the finish of the sport. They may share the file with the Bucks.
Tatum led all scorers with 37 factors on 14-of-18 taking pictures.
