BSJ Game Report: Celtics 133, Knicks 118 - Brown, Tatum, combine for 56 in 3-point barrage

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics win over the New York Knicks, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics opened the game scoring their first 15 points on 3-pointers and they just kept firing all night long. They ended up taking 51 and making 27, a new team record for made 3s. They needed all of them to overcome the parade to the rim they allowed the Knicks, who finished the game with 64 points in the paint.

Box Score

HEADLINES

Live by the 3: They took 51 3-pointers and 37 2-pointers. They shot 52.9% from deep, 53.4% overall, and 100% (12-12) from the line. Their effective field goal percentage (which accounts for 3-pointers), was 68.8%, and their true shooting percentage (which also accounts for free throws) was 71.6%. These are all outrageous numbers.

No defense: It took a record-setting 3-point performance to pull away from a team that did enough to win on most nights. The Knicks scored more than half their points in the paint, they shot 51.1% overall, they hit 40.7% from deep, They got to the line 16 times and made 15. The Celtics didn’t do a whole lot to limit the Knicks. They just put up 133 points on an outlier shooting night. 

Bolstered by the bench: The Celtics reserves outscored New York’s 50-26. Sam Hauser’s big night was part of it, but Malcolm Brogdon’s impact continues to be incredible. He continues to just make everyone around him better. 

TURNING POINT

Jayson Tatum’s 3-pointer at the 4:35 mark of the fourth quarter triggered a 17-6 close to the game by Boston. Tatum had 8 of those points.

SEVEN UP 

Jayson Tatum: He put up 26 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds, but let’s talk about his defense here and the 2 blocks that bring him up to 7 in his past 3 games. Not only that, he’s been getting some huge rebounds, too. Tatum is often the biggest or second-biggest guy on the floor for Boston, and he seems to be embracing the responsibility that comes with that. 

Jaylen Brown: He was at risk of being overshadowed by the monster Hauser shooting game, but he was right there shot-for-shot during Hauser’s run. He finished with 30 points on 10-19 shooting, including 6-11 from deep and 4-4- from the line to go along with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. 

Malcolm Brogdon: He had a few shots at the rim circle out on him, but man this guy is paying off in a big way for the Celtics. He has a knack for drawing in the defense and finding guys exactly when they are their most open. He also gets to the rim at will, which results in him opening up the floor for the shooters around him. There's a reason why his lineups are so deadly. Just watch him on this play, tracking Hauser the whole way down the floor and hitting him at the perfect time: 

Marcus Smart: A perfect game from Smart. He shot well (5-9 overall, 3-5 3pt) and dished out 11 assists with only 1 turnover. He made great decisions all around, giving up shots even when he had the shot dropping to move the ball and get better ones. 

Sam Hauser: After a 10-minute stint with just one shot last week, I wrote that any time on the floor with him not getting shots is wasted time. In 21 minutes tonight, he took 9 shots, made 6 of them, 5 of them from deep (the other was a layup after attacking a closeout). He shot 5-8 from deep and, frankly, all the misses were surprising. He also got 3 rebounds and 2 assists while playing acceptable defense.

Grant Williams: A nice night from him, but this “up” is more about the variety he’s been showing in his game. A pullup jumper from the free throw line? A crafty floater? What? Williams could very well be earning himself a much bigger contract next summer than what he might have agreed to a month ago. 

Robert Williams: With Abby Chin reporting that Williams is dunking again and, in fact, trying not to be too explosive, too early, I had to include that news somewhere. And since it was reported during the game, let’s put it here, because dear God does Boston need him back. If he’s back on the floor now, and the 8-12 week window is a couple of weeks away, things could be changing for Boston defensively in short order. 

ONE DOWN 

The Celtics' defense: The points in the paint number is absurd. I’m not completely shocked because of the center situation, but there still could be better defense overall. New York’s 119.2 offensive rating in this game was 9 points higher than normal. They're one of the worst shooting teams in the league, but their true shooting in this was 10 percentage points higher than normal. It’s hard to defend on the perimeter, but the Celtics still aren’t anywhere close to where they need to be.

TOP PLAYS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- No, Malcolm Brogdon should not start, nor should he be playing more.

That line was tough to type, because I know exactly why some people are calling for this to happen. His impact is so great right now that of course people want to see more of him. 

However … 

I L-O-V-E the freedom he’s getting on the second unit, and I’m afraid that would get taken away a bit if he’s out there with Tatum and Brown for too long. I think he’d be reduced to a floor spacer for too much of the game. That's fine for some stints and he can aggressively attack closeouts, but his value to the bench is so much more important. 

He can turn the corner on anyone. 

“I think my whole career, people see me as a big guard and sort of a bully. But I get past people, I get past people every night,” he said last week. “I put the ball in the basket, I get to the rim. So I think it is a little bit overlooked, but people also respect that I can get to the rim against really anybody.”

The bench unit gives him the freedom to attack and be the focal point, and then when the defenses collapse, he can pick teams apart. The Celtics bench is 10th in the league in offensive rating and 5th in net rating. The Brogdon, Tatum, and bench lineups are killing right now, and it’s because of the freedom Brogdon has in that second unit. 

He’ll play plenty with the starters, and he’ll close out plenty of games. This is the right role for him. 

As for the minutes, I feel like keeping him in the high 20’s is a good number to keep him healthy. The last thing the Celtics need is for him to go down for a few weeks because they tried to push him too much. 

There will be a time for that after we switch our clocks back to normal human time. When we spring ahead, so can Brogdon’s workload. Until then, let’s not mess with what’s not broken.