Tatum takes the last eight, and the champs stay winless
Jayson Tatum scored 25 of his 36 after halftime, seven of Boston's last eight, and the Celtics held off New York 107-103.
NBA wire ·
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Knicks | 27 | 22 | 24 | 30 | 103 |
| Boston Celtics | 26 | 24 | 33 | 24 | 107 |
The Knicks are the champions, and they are 0-2. Friday in Boston they ran into Jayson Tatum on a night he decided the fourth quarter was his. Tatum scored 36, 25 of them after halftime, including seven of Boston's final eight points. The Celtics won 107-103. Paul George and Neemias Queta had 15 apiece. New York has now lost its opener to Philadelphia and its second game to the Celtics.
It was not a wire-to-wire game. Twelve lead changes, four ties. Boston won the third quarter 33-24 and took a one-point halftime lead out to 10. The margin reached 91-79. Karl-Anthony Towns's putback started a 12-3 answer that made it 94-91, and New York later got within 99-96. Then Tatum closed it. Towns finished with 22. OG Anunoby had 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Miles McBride scored 20. Jalen Brunson had 19. Five Knicks in double figures, and a one-point game at the half, and they still left without a win.
Defending a title in October is mostly about not inventing a crisis. Two losses, one of them in a building that has ended a lot of New York seasons, is not a crisis. It is a 0-2 that the champs did not have to be.