Jayson Tatum, Celtics Tie NBA's Single-Game 3-Point Record vs. Jalen Brunson, Knicks
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacek
Featured Columnist IVOctober 23, 2024
The Boston Celtics are still good at basketball.
The reigning NBA champions didn't just pick up where they left off in Tuesday's season opener against the New York Knicks. They went out and tied an NBA record in the process on the way to a 132-109 victory.
Al Horford's three-pointer in the fourth quarter gave Boston 29 made triples in the game, which tied the NBA record. The Milwaukee Bucks also hit 29 three-pointers during a victory over the Miami Heat in December 2020.
The perimeter barrage started immediately.
Jayson Tatum launched a three-pointer on the first possession of the season, and it found the bottom of the net. It was the first of 10 three-pointers in the opening quarter alone as the Celtics jumped out to a commanding 43-24 lead and never looked back.
All that was left to decide was whether the home team would set the record, and it ironically went ice cold down the stretch with 13 missed three-pointers in a row after hitting 29.
Jaylen Brown told reporters after the game that it was like the Celtics "got jinxed or something" while trying to go for the record.
Noa Dalzell 🏀 @NoaDalzellJaylen Brown on the 3 point record:<br><br>"It was almost like we got jinxed or something. When we were playing, having fun, playing our style of basketball, everything was going in. Once the crowd got into it, and we started hunting them, we couldn't hit the bright side of the barn." <a href="https://t.co/s3XqqV1EfS">pic.twitter.com/s3XqqV1EfS</a>
While the Knicks were the ones who made plenty of offseason headlines by trading for Karl-Anthony Towns, Tuesday's performance was a reminder to New York and the rest of the NBA that Boston is still the team to beat.
Tatum was a brilliant 8-of-11 from three-point range on his way to 37 points. All five starters connected on at least three shots from beyond the arc with Brown hitting five and Derrick White making six.
Perhaps the scariest thing is the reality the Celtics are only going to get better when Kristaps Porziņģis returns from his foot injury.
Porziņģis is a nightmare matchup for opposing frontcourts because of his own ability to shoot from three-point range, which helps him work in pick-and-pops and take advantage of the spacing that comes with playing alongside Tatum and Brown. Had he played Tuesday, the Celtics may have broken the record instead of just tying it.
Next up for the Celtics is a road game against the Washington Wizards on Thursday, and they will look to keep rolling after a dominant showing.
