The Knicks shot an impressive 55 percent from the field, they just couldn’t stop the Celtics who tied the single-game record for made threes in their 132-109 loss to the defending champs on Tuesday night in Boston.
Here are the takeaways…
– While the Celtics began the defense of their title, the Knicks’ defense was lacking, especially early on. Boston shot 59 percent from the field including 10-for-17 from three in the first quarter. At halftime, the Celtics shot 55.1 percent from the field and 53 percent from three. The Celtics’ 17 threes were one shy of the NBA record for made threes in the first half. The Knicks, on the other hand, were just 4-for-14 from downtown (28.6 percent).
– Those numbers from downtown continued to go in Boston’s favor. The Celtics tied the record of 29 made threes with about seven minutes to go, but they just couldn’t get that record-breaking three to drop. At one point, the Celtics were shooting about 60 percent from downtown but missed their last 13 three-point attempts to drop it to 47.5 percent.
– Last season, the Knicks were one of the best rebounding teams, especially in the offensive rebounding department. But on Tuesday, they were out-rebounded. At halftime, Boston had 26 rebounds to the Knicks’ 16. New York also only had one offensive rebound to the Celtics’ six.
The final rebounding numbers: Knicks – 41 (five offensive) Celtics – 46 (11 offensive)
– Karl-Anthony Towns had a quiet Knicks debut scoring 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting (1-of-2 from three) go go along with seven rebounds and three assists. As Shaquille O’Neal pointed out during TNT’s halftime show, KAT was passive in his offensive approach, especially in the paint.
– Mikal Bridges had a very tough first half in his Knicks debut. He was held scoreless in the first half and allowed Jayson Tatum, who Bridges was the main defender for, to score 25 points.
The former Net would find his stroke in the second half, scoring 16 points on a combined 7-of-13 shooting (2-of-7 from three).
– Tatum had a game-high 37 points on 14-of-18 shooting. Jaylen Brown, 23 points, Derrick White (24), Jrue Holiday (18) and Al Horford (11) all scored in double digits.
– Tom Thibodeau‘s rotation was nine deep in the first half. Newcomer Cameron Payne and rookie Pacome Dadiet got some minutes with Jericho Sims and Deuce McBride were the others off the bench before Thibs emptied the bench with about five minutes to go in the game and the Knicks were down by nearly 30 points.
– Where would the Knicks have been without McBride? The young guard started his scoring 5-for-5 and was the Knicks’ lone scoring option for a good portion of the first half. McBride finished with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting (4-for-5 from three).
– Jalen Brunson scored 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting on 24:30 minutes on the floor. Josh Hart scored 12 and OG Anunoby scored four points.
Game MVP: The Boston Celtics
Yup, the Celtics did everything well. They scored, rebounded and defended well. They broke the single-season threes record was impressive for a team that looked like they wanted to really win this game.
Highlights
What’s next
The Knicks will look to get into the win column on Friday, Oct. 25. They will take on the Pacers at Madison Square Garden.
