Celtics Notes: Why Boston Felt ‘Jinxed’ At End Of Win Over Knicks

BOSTON — The Celtics handled the New York Knicks by the time the fourth quarter rolled around and set their eyes on an NBA record Tuesday night with plenty of time to accomplish the feat.

Al Horford splashed in Boston’s 29th triple with 8:54 left to tie the record for most 3-pointers in a single game. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Celtics would shatter the record given their ferocity from beyond the arc on the night.

But then came miss after miss after miss. And when the final buzzer sounded on a 132-109 win for Boston at TD Garden, the Celtics were still stuck on 29 treys after missing their final 13 3-point attempts.

It was really the only blemish in an otherwise dominant performance.

“It was almost like we got jinxed or something,” Jaylen Brown said. “When we were just playing, having fun, playing our style of basketball, everything was going in. And then once the crowd got into it and we started hunting them, we couldn’t even hit the the right side of the barn. Like, everything was off. We got a bunch of great looks and it was like a lid on the basket.”

The Celtics, who finished 29-of-61 (47.5%) from deep, torched the Knicks with their long-range shots from the get-go. Boston converted a staggering 10-of-17 3-pointers in the first quarter and drained seven more in the second quarter. The avalanche of 3-pointers continued in the third quarter with Boston hitting 9-of-13 attempts.

The barrage came from every direction, too. Jayson Tatum, who scored a game-high 37 points on an ultra-efficient 14-for-18 shooting, knocked down eight triples while Derrick White sunk six and Brown knocked down five.

“Shot felt good,” Tatum said. “I was in a good rhythm and things like that. I think just offensively, I felt like we picked up from where we left off last year.”

The Celtics a season ago averaged the most 3-point attempts per game with 42.5. If they keep up the pace they are at, they will shatter that mark.

Jacking up 3-pointers is a staple of Joe Mazzulla-ball, where it feels like the best shot is one behind the arc. But the Celtics learned a valuable lesson from the way their shooting clinic ended against the Knicks.

“That just shows we’re not a team that’s hunting threes,” Brown said. “I mean, we play the game and we do what we’re supposed to do. But I think toward the end it was tough because we wasn’t playing the way we had normally played. But we still had a bunch of great looks.”

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Here are more notes from Tuesday’s Celtics-Knicks game:

— The Celtics began the night in celebratory fashion. They received their championship rings and raised Banner 18 to the TD Garden rafters. Mazzulla even had an unexpected moment during the pregame ceremony.

— The Celtics quickly moved on from the festivities to overwhelm the Knicks, which impressed Mazzulla. The Celtics led, 43-24, after the first 12 minutes and notched 74 points by halftime

“The biggest thing I’m proud of is the mindset of the guys,” Mazzulla said. “They weren’t stuck in the past. We were able to transition from what got us to where we were to where we’re trying to get to with the intangibles and they came out and it was a great start. We were physical on defense and we played together on offense and it’s a credit to them.”

— Boston’s starting five continues to pack a powerful punch. Tatum, Brown, White, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford combined to score 113 points.

— The Celtics look to make it two wins in a row to begin the 2024-25 season when they face the Washington Wizards on Thursday night. Tipoff from Capital One Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.