Jayson Tatum scored 36 points as the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks 107-103 at TD Garden on Friday night, claiming their first win of the new NBA season in their home opener.
Both teams had lost their opening games, so one of them was always going to start the year with two straight defeats. In the end it was the Knicks, the reigning champions, who left Boston still searching for a first win.
Boston came in with worries of their own. They had lost their opener to the Detroit Pistons, letting a late lead slip away, and a second defeat in front of their own fans would have turned a stumble into a small crisis before the first weekend of the season was over.
A game of swings
New York made the better start and led 27-26 after the first quarter. Neither side shot well from long range, and Boston’s ball pressure visibly bothered the Knicks, who struggled to run their offence smoothly.
Boston edged in front by half-time. Paul George, playing his first home game for the Celtics, hit a corner three at the buzzer to make it 50-49 at the break. Karl-Anthony Towns had led all scorers at that stage with 12 points for New York.
The third quarter decided the game. Boston outscored New York 33-24 in the period, with Tatum attacking the rim and the home defence forcing the Knicks into rushed shots late in the clock.
New York refused to fold. The Knicks won the final quarter 30-24 and pulled within four points, but Boston protected the ball and closed the game out in the final minute.
Tatum leads, Towns answers
Tatum finished with 36 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, making 14 of his 26 shots. At half-time he had only 11 points, which made his second-half surge the difference between the sides.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 22 points and 10 rebounds. OG Anunoby added 20 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 19 points, and Miles McBride gave New York a real lift off the bench with 20 points. Josh Hart added 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Mikal Bridges had a night to forget for the visitors. He missed all eight of his shots and finished without a point.
The game also brought a first meeting between Mitchell Robinson and his former team. The centre won the championship with New York last season before a summer move reshaped both squads. There was a debut too, as James Wiseman played his first minutes for the Knicks late in the game.
Guarding for 24 seconds
Before the game, Celtics guard Baylor Scheierman said the key to beating New York was discipline, staying with the play for the full 24 seconds of every possession and finishing it with a rebound.
Boston did not manage that on every trip down the floor. But they managed it often enough in the third quarter to build the lead that won the game, against a Knicks pair, Brunson and Towns, who make their living punishing any lapse.
The rivalry needs no selling. The two clubs have been meeting since the league’s early days, and they went through a six-game playoff series last spring during New York’s run to the title.
Why it matters
It is far too early for panic or parades, but the result sets an early tone in the Eastern Conference. Boston, written off by some after a summer of change, showed they can still beat the champions on their own floor.
The Knicks start their title defence at 0-2 and have little time to brood. They host the Orlando Magic on Sunday. Boston, now 1-1, welcome the Chicago Bulls on Monday, with the Garden crowd starting to believe the old rivalry still runs through this team.
