The Celtics dug an 11-point hole for themselves in the opening minutes of their back-to-back at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. By the end of the evening, it became a distant memory. The Celtics fought back from an 11-point deficit and 32 percent shooting in the first half to erupt for 72 second-half points to outscore the Knicks by 28 points after the break and run away with the road victory. Kemba Walker had a game-high 32 points with 21 in the first half while Jaylen Brown added 19 points.
With Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter sidelined with injuries, Grant Williams stepped up once again with big minutes at center (+12) to help key Boston's second half run with three steals, two blocks and a pair of charges drawn. While the C's offense took flight in the second half, they also limited the Knicks offensive attack all night by forcing 26 turnovers and cutting down on their second chance points after allowing 12 offensive rebounds in the first half.
The win improves the C's to 2-1 with a showdown with the Bucks looming at the Garden on Wednesday night.
GAME: No. 3 of 82:
WHO: Celtics (1-1) vs. Knicks (0-2)
WHEN: 7:30 EST
WHERE: Madison Square Garden
RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub
TV: NBC Sports Boston
Projected starters
Celtics
PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Gordon Hayward
C: Robert Williams
Inactive: Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter and Romeo Langford are all out.
Knicks
PG: Elfrid Payton
SG: RJ Barrett
F: Marcus Morris
F: Julius Randle
C: Mitchell Robinson
First Half Notes
—Another woeful start for the offense, has Knicks begin the game with a 12-2 run before C’s climb back into it by the end of the first quarter.
-Jayson Tatum is the main culprit for the slow offense early with 1-of-9 shooting from the field early on. He entered the game shooting 27 percent rom 2-point range and is just 1-of-6 from there tonight.
—Rob Williams get the start at center but is a team-worst -13 in his 12 minutes. He continues to struggle with positioning on the defensive end.
—Kemba Walker had another slow start but bounced back with a couple 3s at the end of the half. He’s got a team-high 11 points and 5 rebounds.
—Jaylen Brown continues his efficient offensive performance with 9 points on 4-of-7 shooting but was limited to just 13 minutes in first half due to foul trouble.
—Strong minutes again for Grant Williams off the bench at the center spot. He’s probably the team’s best mobile defensive option in the middle already.
—Vincent Poirier made his NBA debut and did not do much. Just one shot attempt in 4 minutes.
—Marcus Smart took seven shots and all have gone from downtown.
—C’s shot 32.7 percent from the field and 23 percent from 3-point range. Te They continue to be on of the worst shooting teams in the league through four games.
—Knicks are absolutely destroying the C’s on the offensive glass with 12 offensive rebounds. C’s need to clean that up to have a chance in the second half.
—RJ Barrett looks like a force early on with a game-high 15 points. He’s taken advantage of mismatches in the post and on the perimeter.
- With Kanter and Theis out, Tacko Fall will be on the active 13-man roster for the first time in his NBA career. Vincent Poirier is also expected to make his season debut at center.
- This will be the first matchup between the C's and former Celtic Marcus Morris who signed a one-year deal with the Knicks this offseason. The forward told reporters he didn't get a call from the team during free agency. “I guess that’s the business,” Morris said. “I thought I at least deserved a phone call but it is what it is.”
- The Celtics are shooting just 38.7 percent from the field in the first two games of the season, ranking 28th overall in the league.