Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 103-101 win over the Knicks on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden
Box Score
HEADLINES
Tatum rescues the Celtics late: The 20-year-old Duke product has developed a clutch gene early in his NBA career and it carried over yet again to the bright lights of Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Tatum scored six points of his team-high 24 points for the Celtics in the final minute of the game, including two crucial midrange jumpers to help fend off the feisty hosts in what was an ugly affair for the better part of the second half.
Tatum also added a career-high 14 rebounds in the contest and he nearly gave the Knicks some life on their final possession after fouling Trey Burke on a 3-point attempt. With the Knicks needing all three free throws to tie the game, Burke bricked the first attempt, closing the door on would have been a 16-point rally for the hosts.
An underwhelming final three quarters for Boston: The Celtics were without Gordon Hayward (rest) all night and Aron Baynes (hamstring injury) for the final three quarters of this one, but that does not excuse what was an uneven effort against a far less talented Knicks squad. Kyrie Irving (16 points) came alive late but had another nightmare offensive performance (5-of-16 from the field). Jaylen Brown struggled on both ends yet again and the C’s offense suffered through another subpar shooting night (40 percent from the field). There were glimpses of excellence in the 31-18 first quarter but the visitors blew a 16-point first half lead and had to hold for dear life during most of the second half against the likes of Tim Hardaway Jr. (24 points) and two-way player Alonzo Trier (15 points). A win is a win but the C’s have plenty of work to do, particularly on the offensive end.
TURNING POINT
After missing a dunk with 38 seconds remaining in a one-point game, Tatum corraled the loose ball and settled into a postup on Hardaway Jr. at the left elbow. He patiently juked back and forth before attempting a Kevin Garnett-esque turnaround that Hardaway Jr. contested well. The rainbow fell, giving the C’s a three-point cushion with 23 seconds remaining, which proved to be enough of an edge for the win.
TWO UP
Tatum’s rebounding:
Crashing the defensive glass has been a point of emphasis for the forward all year long and that trend continued on Saturday night with a career-high 14 rebounds. He’s now posted nine rebounds or more in all three games this year and is averaging 10.7 boards per contest.
Aron Baynes:
Before going down with a hamstring injury in the second quarter, Baynes breathed some life into the Celtics on both ends of the floor with a dominant first quarter while starting in place of Hayward. He posted 10 points, 5 rebounds and had a team-best plus-15 in just 12 minutes of action before pulling himself out of the game with the injury. The Celtics had no update on his condition after the game.
TWO DOWN
Jaylen Brown:
While Tatum is thriving in year two, Brown has stumbled out of the gate this year, particularly on the defensive end. Hardaway Jr. roasted him for open shots throughout the fourth quarter which forced Brad Stevens to insert Marcus Smart into the game to guard him in crunch time. Brown played a lot more on Saturday night (38 minutes) after getting benched late against the Raptors but he delivered his worst offensive outing of the year as well, going just 2-of-9 from the field.
Kyrie Irving for first three quarters:
The All-Star labored through his second ugly shooting night during opening week, going a putrid 4-of-14 from the field to produce just 10 points in the first three quarters before gaining some rhythm and trips to the free throw line (six points) in the fourth quarter prior to Tatum’s late-game takeover. Through three games, Irving’s outside shooting has been particularly brutal (2-of-14 from 3-point range), a big reason why the C’s offense is in the bottom five of the league to this point.
TOP PLAY
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Losing Baynes for an extended stretch could be a big problem:
The Celtics’ defense took a step back with him sidelined for the final three quarters (83 points allowed) and Baynes' defensive presence and screening ability has made him a crucial piece of the rotation through the opening three games. Hamstring injuries can be dicey and the C’s don’t have much reliable depth behind him at center right now with Daniel Theis still looking a step slow as he works his way back into top form following knee surgery. With some challenging bigs (Steven Adams, Andre Drummond) coming up on the schedule next week, the C’s will need everyone to play better up front to take pressure off of Al Horford.
The Celtics need to start weeding out the long 2s:
This is a team full of jump shooters and a lot of those shots are being taken from less than ideal areas of the floor over the first three games of the year. Boston has taken 70 shots from 10-19 feet over that stretch, which is the second highest team total in that range through three games. Long jumpers generally don't result in foul calls and are a usual ingredient of inefficient basketball and that’s been a common theme for the Celtics offense during long stretches of their first few games. Stevens has to find a way to get these guys attacking the rim more or at least working a steadier diet of their shot attempts beyond the arc.
