Knicks Beat Celtics in Season Opener

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Photo by Miltiadis Fragkidis on Unsplash

The New York Knicks were not to be denied in their 2021-22 NBA season opener against the Boston Celtics. Despite Boston coming from a six-point deficit in the last minute of regulation and forcing two overtimes, the Knicks still managed to go to distance and claim a 138-134 win.

After opening the game with an 8-0 run, the Knicks quickly fell behind and were trailing as much as 12 points midway through the second quarter. However, the Celtics took their foot off the gas and allowed New York to regroup.

The Knicks slowly chipped Boston’s lead in the third quarter and emerged at the top of 86-82 score to start the final period. It appeared that New York will wrap up the game in a comfortable fashion from that point onward, but Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart hit a three-pointer each as the clock was winding down to make it 116-116.

The first overtime saw teams exchanging leads before becoming sloppy and failing to get their offense going. The score was locked at 128-128 at 2:42, and neither team managed to make a basket until the clock reached zero.

The Knicks were hungrier for the win in the second overtime and managed to get it done mostly thanks to some big defensive stops and crucial baskets from Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose in the last minute.

Fournier, who spent the second part of the last season with the Celtics, ended the game with 32 points and made six out of 13 three-point attempts. Julius Randle added a near triple-double with 35 points, eight boards, and nine assists. Kemba Walker, another former Celtic, had a quiet night that saw him contribute 10 points.

The Celtics, on the other hand, had a big performance from Jaylen Brown. In 46 minutes on the floor, Brown scored 46 points and added nine rebounds and six assists. Jayson Tatum had 20 points despite a poor shooting night that saw him make only seven baskets out of 30 shots.