There’s no championship hangover in Boston.
The Celtics hung their 18th banner and tried on their new rings in a pregame ceremony Tuesday night. They then proceeded to trounce the New York Knicks, picking up where they left off in June with a 132-109 win to open the new NBA season, tying the single game 3-point record in the process.
Jayson Tatum started the game with a 3-pointer in the game’s opening 10 seconds.
It was a sign of things to come as Boston torched the Knicks with a 29-of-61 effort from 3-point distance, tying the NBA record for 3s made in a single game. The Milwaukee Bucks previously set the record with 29 3-pointers in a 144-97 romp over the Miami Heat in 2020.
The Celtics seemed to have the record locked up as their own when Al Horford tied it with Boston’s 29th 3-pointer with nearly nine minutes left in the game.
But Boston pulled its starters in the blowout, and the Celtics missed their final 13 attempts from long distance.
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Tatum, who spent the bulk of his summer in Paris on the bench as a little-used Olympian, led the way and again showed his chops as the centerpiece of a championship team. He finished the game with 37 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds while shooting 14 of 18 from the field and 8 of 11 from 3.
But it wasn’t a one-man show. Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Al Horford each took their turns in the 3-point barrage as Boston’s balanced roster of stars was at its best.
Brown finished with 23 points while shooting 5 of 9 from 3. White tallied 24 points while shooting 6 of 10 from long distance. Holiday shot 4 of 6 from 3 en route to 18 points. Horford added 11 points while shooting 3 of 5 from 3.
Jalen Brunson did his best for the Knicks on the other end while leading a new-look starting lineup with 22 points and two assists. But it wasn’t nearly enough as the game was out of hand by the end of a first quarter the Celtics led, 43-24. Boston hit 10 3-pointers in the first quarter to set the tone.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 12 points and seven rebonds in his Knicks debut. Mikal Bridges struggled early in his first game since a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. He was scoreless at halftime but finished with 16 points and two assists while shooing 7 of 13 from the floor and 2 of 7 from 3.