The Boston Celtics shot a barrage of threes to overcome the New York Knicks 132-109 on opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
The Celtics, who got their Championship rings and hung their 18th banner in the rafters, tied the Milwaukee Bucks for the most 3-pointers scored in an NBA game and also set a new franchise record having shot 29-of-61 from beyond the arc.
Game WON 👏#DifferentHere pic.twitter.com/M36k0EpULX
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 23, 2024
Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 37 points and 10 rebounds, shooting eight 3s as the 26-year-old looked like a man on a mission after getting DNPs at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he won his second gold medal with Team USA Basketball.
Ain’t skipped a beat 😤
JT is tonight’s @Gatorade Player of the Game pic.twitter.com/CPnlSEE9kL
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 23, 2024
Boston shot 10 3s in the first quarter and were just one shy of matching Milwaukee’s record for most 3s in a half as they shot 17 threes after two quarters to head into the halftime break with a 19-point lead.
The NBA’s defending champions led by as many as 35 points before missing its last 13 3-point attempts while trying to break the record the record the Bucks set in 2020.
Derrick White tallied 24 points and six 3s, Jaylen Brown added 23, Jrue Holiday poured in 18 points and four 3s, and Al Horford finished 11 points for the Celtics, whose five starters scored double figures.
Boston’s win at TD Garden should send a bit of fear to the chasing pack as the new-look Knicks is supposed to be one of their biggest rivals in the Eastern Conference.
✅ Set a franchise record
✅ Tied the NBA recordAnd that was just Game One 😏 pic.twitter.com/M6kIyikDSH
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 23, 2024
Jalen Brunson scored 22 points for New York, but Miles McBride was the biggest surprise for Tom Thibodeau’s sides as he poured in 22 points from the bench, while shooting four 3s.
Knicks’ latest acquisition Karl-Anthony Towns had just 12 points and seven rebounds, Mikal Bridges finished with 16 points, Josh Hart scored 12 and Cameron Payne added 11 points off the bench.
The Celtics visit the Capital One Arena to take on the Washington Wizards on Thursday and the Knicks play their home opener against Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
