The New York Knicks were punched in the mouth to open the season. They were unable to contain the Boston Celtics’ historic shooting performance and lost in blowout fashion by a score of 132-109. New York falls to 0-1 on the year while Boston starts their title defense 1-0 on the season.
Despite the ugly loss, there were some positives to take away from it, most notably the performances of their guards. However, the story of the night will be that the Knicks have some work to do if they wish to compete with the Celtics for the Eastern Conference crown.
“We have to play better, but I’m not disappointed in our team,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game (h/t The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III).
The Celtics lit up the Knicks from three
The Celtics’ shooting was on point right away, as they drilled 29 threes in the game, tying an NBA record with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020. Overall, the Knicks shot better from the field than the Celtics, as New York was 55% from the floor compared to 50% from the Celtics. However, the three-point barrage from Boston was too much for New York to handle.
Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics and continued his dominance from last season. He scored 37 points on 14-for-18 shooting from the floor and knocked down eight threes on 11 attempts from outside the arc. Tatum also dished 10 assists as all five Celtics starters scored in double digits, including 24 points from Derrick White and 23 from Jaylen Brown.
The Knicks’ defensive effort was poor, as the Celtics were getting basically whatever they wanted offensively. They created mismatches and forced the Knicks to rotate constantly, which was overwhelming for the New York defense.
Mikal Bridges struggled badly in the first half for the Knicks
This game marked the official Knicks debut for newcomer Mikal Bridges, and it was a debut that he would like to forget. The first half was a real struggle for the two-way forward, as he shot 0-for-5 from the field and was 0-for-4 from three in that stretch. Overall, he finished the night with the worst plus-minus on the team at -33.
The second half was much better for Bridges, as he scored all 16 of his points in that period and shot 7-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-3 from outside the arc. However, it was too little too late for Bridges to claw the Knicks back from a large deficit, as they trailed by 19 points at halftime and never made it very close.
The preseason sparked concerns about Bridges after he appeared to have a new look to his jump shot. Bridges shot just 2-for-19 from outside the arc during the preseason and shot 0-for-10 from distance in their final preseason game against the Washington Wizards last Friday. It appears that those problems carried over into the season opener, but the hope is that he can continue to improve off of a solid second half in the games ahead.
Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride were the lone bright spots for the Knicks
Despite the disastrous outcome, Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride were bright spots for New York. Both players recorded 22 points and carried the load of the Knicks’ offense. Brunson shot 9-for-14 and 1-for-2 from three, while McBride was arguably their best scorer as he shot 8-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-5 from three in 26 minutes off the bench.
McBride endured a breakout campaign last season and showed no signs of regression Tuesday against Boston. With the Knicks bench being depleted early on following injuries to Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, and Precious Achiuwa, New York needs McBride to step up once again and lead the bench unit.
The Knicks will now look to put this game in the rearview mirror as they head back home to gear up for their home opener against another Eastern Conference rival, the Indiana Pacers. That game will be the first meeting between the two since Game 7 of last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, where the Pacers eliminated the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. New York will try to right the ship and get their first win Friday night.