Celtics down 29 3s to tie NBA single-game record in season-opening demolition of Knicks: Key takeaways

By Lauren Merola, Jay King, Jared Weiss and James L. Edwards III

The Boston Celtics tied the NBA single-game 3-point record with 29 makes from behind the arc in their 132-109 season-opening demolition of the New York Knicks at TD Garden on Tuesday.

The Milwaukee Bucks set the single-game 3-point record (29) in 2020.

After their 29th-made 3, the Celtics missed 13 straight shots from behind the arc while looking for single ownership of NBA history. Of the 29 3-pointers, Celtics star Jayson Tatum contributed eight baskets. His single-game 3-point career-high is nine.

Derrick White made six 3s, Jaylen Brown made five, Jrue Holiday made four and Al Horford three. Sam Hauser hit two 3s and Payton Pritchard hit one.

Boston ended the night shooting 47.5 percent from downtown.

In the first half, Tatum went 6-of-9 from behind the arc to end the second frame with 25 points (he finished with 37). White hit three 3s; Brown, Holiday and Horford each contributed two; and Hauser and Pritchard each hit one by half en route to also tying the franchise’s record for most made 3s in a half (17).

Those players continued chipping in till night’s end, proving as dangerous as anticipated in 2024.

Has Tatum returned to 3-point form?

To borrow a phrase from the old video game “NBA Jam,” the Celtics caught team fire while tying an NBA record with their 29 3-pointers. Nobody shot better than Tatum, but more time will be necessary to determine whether his jump shot has truly returned.

The opening night performance, however, brought serious optimism.

Tatum, who tweaked his mechanics following a dreadful shooting drought that lasted through last season’s playoffs and the Paris Olympics, sank four 3-pointers during the first quarter and another two during the second. He won’t shoot that well every night, but, after missing like never before in the playoffs, a simple return to his normal accuracy would represent a major development for the Celtics.

Once the Knicks started overreacting to Tatum’s 3-point makes, he sprayed the ball around the perimeter to create open looks for his teammates. After all of the offseason questions, he delivered a powerful statement on opening night. — Jay King, Celtics beat writer

Celtics’ record night should be a concern for the rest of the league

But it’s not because they tied the NBA record. It’s that nearly 65 percent of their shot attempts were from beyond the arc. Even though the Knicks outshot them from the field, it was a Celtics blowout most of the way through.

Joe Mazzulla obsesses over shot margin. It’s the No. 1 offensive principle he discusses before games. As he walked off the podium at his pregame news conference, Mazzulla mumbled, “Shot margin,” repeatedly on his way out the door.

The Celtics have had plenty of analytics-driven wins under Mazzulla, but this was one of the more remarkable feats we’ve seen. And while the players and fans were losing their minds watching the team throwing up brick after brick as they somehow failed to break the record, Mazzulla must have loved it because that shot margin just kept going up and up. — Jared Weiss, Celtics beat writer

What does this mean for the Knicks?

Not much, honestly.

Most were curious coming into this season-opening matchup against the Celtics if New York was a legitimate contender sooner than it appeared after making so many roster moves over the past few months. The answer is a solid no.

New York’s defense had no answer for Boston’s 3-point-heavy scheme. New York’s starters continued to struggle to shoot and make 3s through the first three quarters. The continuity that the Celtics had is nonexistent in New York.

The good thing is that the Knicks don’t need to be better than the Celtics now. They need to be better than them come playoff time. For now, though, the gap is vast between the two teams. — James L. Edwards III, Knicks beat writer

Required reading

(Photo: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)