The Boston Celtics raised their 2024 NBA championship banner, received their rings and kicked off the new season in style Tuesday night at TD Garden.
The Celtics beat the rival New York Knicks 132-109 in a dominant performance that included Boston tying a league record with 29 3-point shots made.
Jayson Tatum hit eight of those 3-pointers. The superstar forward was the best player on the court Opening Night. He led all players with 37 points on 14-of-18 shooting (8-of-11 from 3-point range), along with 10 assists, four rebounds, one block and one steal in 30 minutes of playing time.
JT IS COOKING 🔥🔥🔥
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 23, 2024
Up to 4 threes in the 1st quarter! pic.twitter.com/A1C5gqca0z
Tatum also made some team history in the victory. He became the first Celtics player in the long history of the franchise to score at least 36 points with 10 or more assists and shoot 75 percent or better from the field in a regular season or playoff game.
In their history, the Celtics have played 6,115 regular season games and 738 playoff games.
— Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) October 23, 2024
Jayson Tatum is the first Celtic to ever amass at least 36 points and 10 assists while shooting at least 75%.
It's a little surprising that Larry Bird never posted a stat line like that, but it makes the accomplishment even more impressive for Tatum.
Tatum looked like a man on a mission against the Knicks. He was aggressive offensively right from the opening tip, scoring 15 points in the first quarter. His new-look jump shot was very effective.
It's not often you see a player of Tatum's caliber come into a title defense with so much motivation and intensity, but after being benched at the 2024 Paris Olympics, it's not surprising that the All-NBA forward made a statement to begin the season. Tuesday's performance could have been the start of a potential MVP season for Tatum.
