Jayson Tatum made sure Friday night ended nothing like Boston’s opener.
After the Celtics let a big lead slip away against Detroit on Tuesday, Tatum delivered a much cleaner answer at TD Garden, piling up 36 points as Boston outlasted the defending champion New York Knicks, 107-103. He also grabbed nine rebounds and handed out seven assists, giving the Celtics the kind of all-around night they needed from him when the game got tight.
The first half was fairly ordinary by Tatum’s standards. He had 11 points at the break, and Boston went into halftime up just one.
Then he found another gear after the reset. Tatum scored 16 in the third quarter as the Celtics put together their best stretch of the night and stretched the margin to 83-73 heading into the fourth.
New York wasn’t done, though. The Knicks kept pushing and Jalen Brunson cut the lead to one with 1:41 remaining, setting up another nervous finish for a Celtics team that had already seen one collapse this week. This time, Tatum took over.
He answered with a tough fallaway jumper to put Boston back ahead, then added a long two and a three-pointer over Karl-Anthony Towns to help seal it. Those shots kept the Knicks from stealing the game late and preserved the four-point win.
Boston’s early-season swing couldn’t have been clearer. Tuesday’s opener ended with a 22-point lead gone to waste.
Friday brought a different script, with the Celtics needing late execution instead of damage control. Tatum supplied that finishing touch.
Paul George and Neemias Queta scored 15 points apiece to give Boston useful support, but the night belonged to Tatum. After managing only 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting in the loss to Detroit, he bounced back in a big way and gave the Celtics the response they were looking for.
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What makes the discussion tricky is the shooting profile. Wagner has put up strong scoring numbers, but his outside shot has not been reliable enough to make the fit feel seamless right away, which is why the appeal comes with some real risk for Boston. If his jumper continues to trend in the right direction, the upside is obvious, but the Celtics would have to decide whether to bet on that improvement now or keep looking for a cleaner answer on the wing. [Read more 🡒]
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Kevin Garnett Just Nailed Why Celtics Fans Revere That Title
Kevin Garnetts latest reflection on his career lands with easy resonance in Boston, where the 2008 title still carries a different kind of weight than any individual trophy ever could. Speaking on the Out The Mud Podcast, Garnett made the case that a championship means more than an MVP award because it represents the work of an entire locker room, coaching staff and organization, a view that fits neatly with how Celtics fans have always remembered that team.
For Garnett, the distinction comes from experience. He had already reached the summit as a league MVP with Minnesota before later joining the Celtics and helping deliver the franchises long-awaited title, and he framed those achievements as proof that team success lives in a different category. The comment is a reminder of why that run still endures in Boston, where the ring became the defining line on his resume and the one fans still point to first. [Read more 🡒]