The Boston Celtics climbed back to .500 with a resounding 110-89 win over the New York Knicks at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
The C’s led by 20-plus points for large stretches of the game, as second-year forward Jaylen Brown (23 points) and rookie forward Jayson Tatum (22 points) led the way offensively. Kyrie Irving chipped in 20 and Al Horford added 13 points in a dominant performance by Boston’s starters.
The Celtics improved to 2-2 with the victory, while the Knicks dropped to 0-3.
Here’s how it all went down.
STARTING FIVE
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Aron Baynes
BIRTHDAY BROWN
The first quarter was the Jaylen Brown show. He celebrated his 21st birthday by scoring 13 points in the first 10 minutes. His second 3-pointer capped a 10-0 run for the C’s and he also threw down a sweet reverse jam.
Brown finished the quarter with 13 points (5-for-8 shooting, 2-for-4 from 3-point range), two rebounds, one block and a steal. Irving added 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting and a 5-for-5 mark from the foul line.
Boston led 30-17 at the end of the quarter.
YOUNG GUNS LEAD THE WAY
Tatum continued Boston’s dominance by scoring 12 points in first 4:25 of the second quarter. He and Brown finished the first half with 30 points combined, just three less than the entire Knicks team as the Celtics led 54-33 at halftime.
Knicks superstar forward Kristaps Porzingis scored just two points on 1-for-8 shooting with three rebounds in the first half. Enes Kanter was the lone bright spot for New York with 16 first-half rebounds.
NO LUCK FOR THE KNICKS
The Celtics kept attacking and led 77-60 after 36 minutes. They also had 22 assists on 28 made field goals through three quarters, which helps illustrate the exceptional ball movement and playmaking the C’s exhibited. The bench wasn’t much of a factor as the Celtics starters accounted for 66 of the team’s 77 points in 36 minutes.
FULL 48-MINUTE EFFORT
The Knicks showed no resistance in the last 12 minutes. Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. finished the game a combined 5-for-25 from the field with just 18 points combined.
Daniel Theis provided some very good minutes off the bench, scoring 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting with four rebounds in 21 minutes. Backup point guard Terry Rozier provided eight points, six rebounds and six assists in a solid all-around performance off the bench.
Brown and Tatum became the first Celtics duo age 21 or younger to score 20-plus points in the same game.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
A sweet put-back dunk by Tatum in the early minutes.
UP NEXT
The Celtics head out on the road for a Thursday night game against the Bucks in Milwaukee. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
