After four months without the NBA, the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks opened the 2024-25 season. In what could foreshadow the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics defeated the Knicks 132-109.
The night started great for Boston and Celtics fans around the world as they lifted Banner 18 into the rafters and the players and coaching staff received 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 action.
The game started with Jayson burying a three to ignite the crowd. Boston got 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 shots. A White corner three led to Tom Thibodeau calling the first time out with 9:26 left in the first quarter.
A big question was to see how the Celtics matched up with KAT and it was Jrue Holiday who drew that assignment with Horford on Mikal Bridges.
The Celtics dictated the pace of the game which all started on the defensive end and pushing the ball. On offense, #MazzullaBall was in full effect as Boston’s ball movement kept the Knicks guessing and left players open for three. Midway through the first quarter all but Jrue Holiday hit a three-pointer to give Boston a 21-12 lead, thanks to an 8-0 run.
The Celtics started the game drilling seven of their first 13 threes, with Tatum’s new and improved shot sinking five of them himself. The Knicks had to call a timeout with 2:28 left in the first after Tatum drilled back-to-back threes to give Boston a 30-17 lead.
The Celtics finished the quarter on a 30-11 run. Tatum led the way scoring 15 points (4-of-6 from deep). Seven different players made a three to give Boston a 43-24 lead after the first quarter. Boston shot 59% from the field which includes 10 threes after the first quarter.
Celtics are the first team in NBA history to make 9 three-pointers in the first quarter of a season-opener!
The record was 7, by 6 teams
— Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) October 23, 2024
The Knicks started the second quarter playing with more aggression on defense. But despite better defense, the Celtics continued to move the ball and grab offensive rebounds leading to three open threes for Horford, Holiday, and Brown to extend its lead to 22 (52-30) with 7:40 remaining in the half.
The only Knicks player who showed anything offensively was Miles McBride who started the game 5-for-5 for 14 points.
Derrick White continued the onslaught with under four minutes remaining as he drilled back-to-back threes to give Boston a 65-41 lead.
Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns started to heat up for the Knicks late in the half. Despite Brunson’s 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and Towns’ 12 points, the Knicks trailed 74-55 at the half.
The Knicks shot the ball well, 57.9%, but Boston went 17-of-32 from three, while the Knicks shot 4-of-14.
Entering tonight, no team in the play-by-play era made more than 13 three-pointers in the 1st half of a season-opener.
The Celtics have destroyed that record tonight!
— Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) October 23, 2024
No one could guard Tatum as he finished the half with 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting (6-of-9 from three). Tatum and his trainer, Drew Hanlen, talked about Tatum tweaking his three-point shot and the proof is in the pudding after that half.
The three-point barrage continued for Boston as Jaylen Brown and Derrick White hit back-to-back threes to start the third quarter. A couple of minutes later, Holiday buries a transition three to give Boston an 83-57 lead, forcing another Knicks timeout less than three minutes into the second half.
The threes wouldn’t stop as Jaylen Brown knocked down the team’s 24th three-pointer made it a 29-point lead (99-70) with 5:26 remaining in the third.
With two minutes left in the third quarter, Boston set an NBA Opening Night record with 25 made threes.
The Knicks played well offensively, they just couldn’t defend a statue and Boston took full advantage. Let the Celtics shoot open threes at your own peril.
Boston finished the third quarter leading 113-87. Boston made 26 three-pointers and only had two turnovers, a recipe that will more often than not have success.
The fourth quarter was all but a formality.
Hauser started the quarter with, you guessed it! A three-pointer from the top of the arc made it 27 made threes, just two away from tying the Milwaukee Bucks record of 29 three-pointers made in a game.
Then it was Brown on the very next possession hitting a three to make it one away from the record. The record-tying three was made by Al Horford from the corner with 8:52 remaining in the quarter.
When Boston tied the record, they missed their next 12 three-point attempts as the crowd anxiously waited to witness history.
Unfortunately for the fans, the record never came as the Celtics decided not to shoot at the end of the game. They will share the record with the Bucks.
Tatum led all scorers with 37 points on 14-of-18 shooting.
