Jalen Brunson scored 22 points for New York, and new addition Karl-Anthony Towns had just 12 points and seven rebounds.
With the Celtics leading by more than 20 points early in the third quarter, the TD Garden crowd’s attention strayed from the basketball game and it began chanting “Yankees Suck!”
Takeaways
The new-look Knicks were supposed to be the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference, but even after adding Towns and Mikal Bridges over the summer, they were no match for the team that finished 14 games in front last season.
Key moment
On July 28, U.S. Olympic basketball coach Steve Kerr benched Tatum for a game against Serbia, guaranteeing Tatum would be motivated for the Celtics’ title defense.
Key stat
The Celtics hit their 29th 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, then fired up two long airballs and 13 misses in a row from beyond the arc as they went for the record set in 2020 by Milwaukee. The crowd chanted “One more 3!” in the final minutes, but on Boston's last possession Payton Pritchard dribbled out the shot clock without making another attempt.
Up next
The Celtics visit Washington on Thursday and the Knicks play their home opener against Indiana on Friday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
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Credit: AP
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Credit: AP