BSJ Game Report: Celtics 108, Knicks 104 - Porzingis saves C's with big fourth quarter

Everything you need to know about the Celtics opening night win over the Knicks, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

Both teams came out playing super fast, which resulted in some really sloppy play early. But Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum combined for 25 of 30 first-quarter points to build a lead. The bench came in and things slowed down, leading to a stagnant offense and losing seven points off their lead. Tatum continued his dominance in the third, but the Knicks made a run to tie the game that Boston quickly answered. The Knicks made another run in the fourth quarter to take a lead, and it looked like Boston was going to choke the game away, but Porzingis scored nine straight points to close things out. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

Porzingis pays dividends: A 30-point debut, the most ever for a Celtic, to go along with four blocked shots, and eight rebounds. He shot 8-15 from the field, 5-9 from 3, and bailed Boston out when they were soiling themselves late in the game. This is why Boston got him. 

Holy Jayson Tatum: I’d say the first 25 minutes of the night were incredible for Tatum. It might be the best I’ve seen him play. He tailed off a bit after that, so there's obvious room for him to improve on what was a dominant night, but the best of Tatum in this game was MVP-level stuff.

Nearly a repeat of a disaster: It looked disturbingly familiar for much of the fourth quarter. I was starting to formulate my “they failed their first test” piece. And while I’m not saying they passed the test with flying colors, They still managed a C- thanks to Porzingis. 

Hey, it’s better than a D or an F. 

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TURNING POINT

It was 101-97 Knicks with 2:34 to go. Porzingis then scored 9 straight Celtics points to make it 106-102 with :29 to go. 

THINGS I LIKED

Winning: The stomach ache of this fourth quarter will be replaced by the nausea of raiding your kid’s Halloween bag in short order. We will treat this game appropriately, but I’d rather do so after an ugly win. 

The defense (generally speaking): Some of this can be chalked up to shooting variance. The Knicks shot 44% from 3, Boston shot just under 31%. I think aside from Immanuel Quickley getting hot from deep in the third quarter to make it a game, Boston did a good job protecting the rim. 

That interior defense will get the job done most nights (as long as they rebound … more on that in a minute)

Porzingis stepping up: He didn't try to do too much. He didn’t force anything. And when things looked bleak, he showed why Brad Stevens went after him on the trade market. It could have gone the other way in New York, especially after a “F--- Porzingis” chant broke out, but he drilled a 26-footer with ease to shut the crowd up in a huge moment. 

Tatum’s aggressiveness: He was 8-9 in the restricted area, and he found his way there easily and creatively. 

Jaylen Brown’s passing: It was better than usual. Considering his night, I felt like he needed something positive to look at on film. 

Derrick White doing the little things: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, a block for White who just finds himself in the right place at the right time, mostly because of his hard work. His poke-away steal on Jalen Brunson was the epitome of hustle. 

via GIPHY

Jrue Holiday guarding Julius Randle: He hounded Randle and, aside from an and-one that he lamented later in the game, he did a great job standing up to Randle’s physicality with his own physical play. 

Payton Pritchard’s recognition on the final inbound: His job was to clear out into the backcourt, and when nothing opened up for Tatum, Pritchard came storming back to get the ball and the game-sealing free throws. Super-smart recognition that saved Boston from a five-second call, a turnover, and a chance for the Knicks to tie or win the game on the final possession. 

via GIPHY

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

Jaylen Brown’s overall game: A stinker for Brown in most phases of the game. I’m not going to make too big a deal of it, but I’m not going to just blow it off. 

Fourth-quarter execution: I was not really happy to see how the Celtics abandoned the paint. I don’t mind that they shot 3-pointers, but I do mind that they didn’t put much pressure on the Knicks defense. We saw one post up from Tatum midway through the fourth and it led to a foul. We need to see more poise and execution in the middle of the quarter.  

Rebounding: This has been an issue since day one and it bit them in the behind tonight. They gave up 17 offensive rebounds and 20 second chance points (Boston only had four). This game didn’t have to be this close

Bench scoring: The bench was outscored 38-12. Rebounding and bench production were the two areas most people feared would be an issue, and they immediately became a problem. To be fair, shooting variance can play a role here as well considering Pritchard and Sam Hauser combined to shoot 0-7 from 3. That's not going to happen very often in the same game. Still, the bench needs to produce. Those guys have a job to do and when they don’t, it’s glaring. 

HIGHLIGHTS

Jayson Tatum wow 😲

Stream: https://t.co/QynkWWCn5R pic.twitter.com/kC41ABHjdj

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 25, 2023

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

This was a good lesson to learn right away

Joe Mazzulla gets to blast these guys in the film room while leaving with a win. As I said earlier, it’s better to be able to get on your team about mistakes made in a win rather than a loss. Come out strong against Miami and this game will be forgotten in short order. 

Both teams came out so frantic that I’d like to think it was a case of opening night jitters plus and ESPN game at MSG that caused the rough start. The Celtics certainly can start better in these games and, if they navigate some earlier parts of the game a little better, then fourth-quarter execution isn’t even much of an issue. 

My hope is that Tatum and Brown can come away from this game breathing a sigh of relief understanding they don’t have to do everything anymore. The more they're willing to give the ball up in the fourth quarter now, the harder they’ll be to defend later on. If opposing defenses have to respect the pass, the driving lanes open up and the double-teams are less frequent and less aggressive. 

Boston shot 30.8% from deep and won. They were -26 in bench points and won. They gave up 20 more field goal attempts and won. I’ll take it. 

Next up: The Celtics opening up at home Friday night against the Miami Heat