Neither of the Knicks‘ two major offseason acquisitions got off to the sort of start they were hoping for this season on Tuesday night in Boston.
While Mikal Bridges salvaged his night to some extent by making 7-of-8 shots for 16 points in the second half, he went scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting in the first two quarters, didn’t grab a single rebound in his 35 minutes on the court, and was a team-worst minus-33 in his Knicks debut, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Bridges also admitted he wasn’t at his best defensively against Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who poured in 37 points.
“I definitely could have done better. I think my performance at the defensive end wasn’t that (good) for me personally, as well as our team,” Bridges said. “Me personally, I think I just could have been better, especially (against) a guy getting it and having that rhythm from the three, just getting up a little bit more (on Tatum).”
Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns had a relatively quiet night in his first game as a Knick, scoring 12 points and recording seven rebounds. The Celtics also frequently targeted him in screening actions, as Botte writes in a separate New York Post story. Like Bridges, Towns didn’t express concern about New York’s offense, but said the defense needs to be better.
“I just think that we just didn’t do enough defensively to give ourselves a chance to win the game,” the four-time All-Star said. “We’ve just gotta do a better job of executing on that end. Our defensive identity is what’s gonna give us a chance to do something great. Offensively, I think we showed tonight we can score, we’ve just gotta play defense.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Ahead of Tuesday’s regular season opener, Tatum spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about what it means to have won his first title and why he believes the Celtics are well positioned to win another championship.
- None of the three Nets players eligible for rookie scale extensions signed a new contract before Monday’s deadline, but that was expected, since Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams have played limited roles in their first three NBA seasons and extending Cam Thomas would’ve eaten into Brooklyn’s projected 2025 cap room. As Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays, Thomas said on Tuesday he’s not bothered by not having completed a deal, while head coach Jordi Fernandez told reporters he didn’t feel the need to discuss the guard’s contract situation with him. “Yeah, conversations have been great. I think he’s in a good place, and I didn’t see anything that I should go and talk to him about it, the way he feels,” Fernandez said. “I think he’s been great. He’s done his job, and we have a clear path and direction for what we’re trying to do.”
- In an in-depth feature for Sportsnet.ca, Blake Murphy takes a closer look at what the Raptors are getting in Jamal Shead, a “high-IQ, high-motor” rookie guard who may have been overlooked this offseason as the third of four players selected by Toronto in the 2024 draft. “Jamal actually should have gone in the first round,” Kelvin Sampson, Shead’s former coach at Houston, said of the No. 45 pick. “There’s such an undervaluing of the things that he does well. … If you’re a coach, you want Jamal. All he does is win.”
Knicks looked awful, what a bunch of worst-possible moves they could have made this offseason.
Their offense looked fine. C’s just had a historic shooting night. No team in the league would have beaten them.
Celtics have a better starting lineup even without porzingis and a far better bench. The Knicks hype was fun while it lasted.
It’s one game…knicks haven’t played together. Don’t tell me the New York media has started already? The opening stretch is tough for NY, lot of playoff teams. Judge them by the playoffs.
Everyone is saying Boston, NY and Philly. Bit quick to right off Giannis, Indy or Orlando who are definitely on the up. In reality for me and not just because I’m a Boston fan. It’s Boston vs health.
Oh no… The Knicks struggled with defence…
No one could of possibly seen this coming… hahahahaha
A) it was one game
B) the Celtics had one of the best games of all time shooting it
C) their closeouts and rotations weren’t actually that bad. Celtics made tons of contested shots. What can you do but tip your cap
Oh no! The Knicks have played one bad game against the champs with their new players!
On no!
The Celtics chose to brick nothing but 3s for the final 8 minutes of the game chasing a record because the other team wasn’t good enough to make it a game…
Guessing this is the first NBA game you’ve ever watched. Certainly no good team has ever been blown out before. So idiotic to take anything away from an opening night – especially with a new mix of players.
No one is suggesting the Celtics aren’t the best team in the NBA, but let’s evaluate the Knicks in January
Chemistry takes time. One game Champions huh.
I’d say their offense needs time. But their D definitely could have been better. Celtics wanted it more, Ring day. Got spanked, it happens.
Probably a good thing. If only to get the media and (apparently) some fans to understand the offseason: NYK went all-in, but it’s not necessarily a win-now all in. The FO’s idea was to lock in an under 30 core that would be locked in for a 3-4 year period. In any event, as others have noted, a team as reconfigured as the NYK can’t be judged in their first game together, playing against the best team in the league no less.
The only things of concern I saw last night involved KAT. He’s a long way from being able to anchor a Thibs’ defense (he’s got to be the boss on defense, talk to his teammates on the court, not to the media after the game). He also has no appetite for the offensive glass (though that was as expected, and I don’t expect much change, but others do need to step up there). Only Sims hit the offensive boards. Was there a single game last that the NYK had only 5 offensive boards (1 in the first half)-? BOS had 11 for the game. That’s not talent, and it can’t keep happening. Mitch averaged 4.6 himself in 24 mpg last season.
Eventually the polite phase will dissipate and the scrappiness will set in.
Are you talking about the NYK on the court, or the commenters on this site?