Jayson Tatum’s 40 helps Celtics blowout Knicks: 8 takeaways
Celtics
Tatum moved to No. 9 on the Celtics’ all-time scoring record.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics to an eye-opening 131-104 win over the Knicks on Saturday, as they bounced again loudly from a disappointing loss.
Listed here are the takeaways.
Jayson Tatum had certainly one of these video games.
With 2:31 remaining within the third quarter and the Knicks waving their arms making an attempt to not fall over the sting of a cliff, Jayson Tatum backed the ball out behind the 3-point line with Mikal Bridges defending him. The shot clock wound down, and Tatum took one dribble adopted by an infinite facet step to his proper, which created loads of area between himself and Bridges. He launched a 29-foot triple, which caught nothing however web and elicited one of many extra despairing noises you’ll hear all season from the Madison Sq. Backyard crowd.
There was loads of time left within the recreation, however Tatum’s three felt very very like a dagger – the Knicks had walked a lead that ballooned as excessive as 18 within the first half all the way in which down to 3 within the third quarter earlier than a sequence of triples by the Celtics helped push the benefit again as much as 16. Tatum performed an enormous position – he scored 19 factors within the third quarter alone, a part of a 40-point statline (13-for-26, 7-for-14 from three, six rebounds, 4 assists) that may have been gaudier if Payton Pritchard hadn’t floor his heel into the Knicks within the fourth after Tatum checked out, ending Tatum’s night prematurely.
Tatum was good on Saturday – the form of recreation that he performs once in a while throughout a season that offers Celtics followers the ammunition they should counter any argument made in opposition to him on-line. He opened the proceedings by rooting Karl-Anthony Cities to the ground with an in-and-out dribble and a monstrous two-handed slam over Treasured Achiuwa on Boston’s first basket of the sport. A couple of minutes later, he made Achiuwa do a stumbling two-step again into the paint with a cross behind his again earlier than burying a 3-pointer.
Spike Lee had the audacity to bark one thing at Tatum within the third, so Tatum hit a number of pictures in a row and barked one thing again. And within the fourth quarter, Tatum scored 5 extra factors to ice issues earlier than taking a seat.
“He was able to play, and that was particular,” Mazzulla mentioned. “I simply thought he did an amazing job of taking what the protection gave him, whether or not it was for him or his teammates.
“However his capacity to play vs. completely different coverages all through the sport, get the shot that he wished and play with a way of poise, that was a particular efficiency.”
Usually, groups drive the ball out of Tatum’s fingers, and he offers it up fortunately sufficient – content material to let his extremely proficient teammates feast off the 2-on-1s created by his gravity.
On Saturday, Tatum had an opportunity to remind a packed Madison Sq. Backyard – in addition to a nationwide TV viewers watching on ABC – why all of these groups would moderately double him than let him cook dinner: He’s a punishingly nice participant who’s nice each due to his capacity to let the sport develop round him and to demolish groups after they give him the prospect.
“It’s at all times about making the best learn,” Tatum mentioned. “If it’s capturing the ball 5 instances in a row, that’s what it’s bought to be. If it’s hitting one of many bigs within the seam, if it’s hitting D-White within the dunker, or if the nail helps, hit the man within the nook or no matter, that’s what it needs to be. So simply residing in that area, no matter the place you at, who you’re enjoying in opposition to. It’s not like I’m making an attempt to show something on the market. I’m simply enjoying the sport the best approach.”
Tatum hit a brand new milestone.
Tatum moved into the Celtics’ prime 10 scorers of all time, ending the night with 13,193 factors to surpass each Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White.
Subsequent up? Invoice Russell at No. 8 with 14,522.
“I’m actually grateful that I get to educate him, so I don’t take that without any consideration,” Mazzulla mentioned. “However that’s big-time for him. He does it the best approach. For him to have the ability to accomplish that whereas targeted on profitable and being an amazing teammate is admittedly essential.
“And I believe he’s nonetheless underrated. He’s among the finest gamers on the market.”
The Celtics are a extremely terrible matchup for the Knicks.
The Knicks are simply 2.5 video games behind the Celtics within the standings, however Saturday’s recreation felt like an announcement by the Celtics that the space between the 2 groups on the courtroom is way better.
The Celtics feast on groups which have offensive juggernaut gamers who’re additionally defensive liabilities, particularly when these gamers are both A) undersized guards or B) slow-footed bigs, and particularly when these undersized guards and/or slow-footed bigs are key components of the group who can’t be simply subbed out.
The Knicks have two such gamers, and in opposition to the Celtics, that may merely not be tenable.
Jalen Brunson stored the Knicks alive within the first half and deep into the third quarter along with his offensive brilliance. Whereas he’s as grifty as a participant can get, drawing fouls with a wide selection of pump fakes and leaning jumpers, he’s additionally an extremely proficient scorer and pick-and-roll operator.
Cities, the Knicks’ new offseason acquisition, is the prototypical fashionable offensive huge man – equally a menace to hit threes, put the ball on the ground and submit up successfully.
However the Celtics’ secret sauce has plenty of flavors, and an enormous a part of it’s that every one of their proficient offensive gamers may also defend very well. Collectively, Brunson and Cities give the Celtics high-value targets on any given possession within the pick-and-roll, and the Celtics’ defenders maintain up nicely sufficient in opposition to them to forestall their offense from making up the distinction.
Brunson – whose night was very nicely summarized by his stat line of 36 factors on 10-for-18 capturing, 13 free throws and a -19 within the field rating – stored the Knicks alive within the first half and the third quarter, however the Knicks merely didn’t have sufficient for Tatum’s onslaught.
Cities, in the meantime, completed with simply 9 factors – his first time this season failing to achieve double figures.
“You tally up all of the ways in which they’re able to rating, and you are taking just a few of these away,” Mazzulla mentioned. “We didn’t do an amazing job on the free throw line – now we have to do a greater job of defending with out fouling. However we have been capable of simply take away plenty of the stuff that they get by a few of the particulars, and the positioning and the main points have been on level.”
Payton Pritchard slammed the door.
If Tatum had the Knicks waving their arms on the fringe of the cliff, Pritchard spin-kicked them over it.
Pritchard scored 15 of his 25 factors within the fourth quarter, burying three of his six triples within the ultimate body. As he put the Knicks away, Tatum roared from the bench – evidently greater than content material to take a seat tight on 40 factors and watch Pritchard deal with the remainder.
Pritchard completed 9-for-13 from the ground with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and one “too small” celebration in opposition to Josh Hart.
“For me, it’s nearly making the best reads each time,” Pritchard mentioned. “I had two pictures in a row I hit. The following two performs, I hit Luke. And it’s simply making the best learn. That’s how I decide my recreation. It’s not makes or misses or something, it’s making the best reads, and I assumed I did a very good job of that.”
Luke Kornet was cooking.
Let chef Luke Kornet do your cooking this night, and also you received’t even have to scrub the dishes.
Beginning rather than Kristaps Porzingis, who was a late scratch as a consequence of sickness, Kornet completed an ideal 7-for-7 from the sector with 14 factors, 12 rebounds and three blocks. The Celtics began with Kornet and Al Horford on the ground in a double huge lineup, and – not for the primary time this season – Kornet gave them actually wonderful minutes in a beginning position.
“To me, it’s extra about simply having alternative ways which you could play,” Mazzulla mentioned. “The season presents alternatives for that, and we want to have the ability to be versatile to have the ability to win the matchup at that exact time.
“I assumed tonight, that received the matchup for us. New York is likely one of the most bodily groups within the league. They do an amazing job on each ends of the glass, and we have been capable of counteract that a bit bit with our physicality. So it’s a credit score to the fellows for taking part in as onerous as they did, particularly defensively, they have been very well related.”
“Massive Luke performed his ass off at this time,” Tatum added. “He form of actually set the tone to begin.”
The imperfect-but-useful Neemias Queta
No person would accuse Neemias Queta of being a flawless basketball participant – he finds himself in too many uncomfortable defensive positions, he swipes too usually at defenders who already had him beat, and he will be susceptible to turnovers.
However Queta can also be simply so lengthy and athletic that he can usually be a optimistic participant regardless of the failings. On Saturday, Queta (11 factors, 4-for-7 capturing, eight rebounds) did plenty of little issues to spice up the Celtics. He set good screens, and he made the a lot of the ensuing rolls to the rim. He wolfed up rebounds. He made most of his free throws. He was a deterrent on the rim, and he held up comparatively nicely even He even knocked down a troublesome soar hook within the paint within the fourth.
Queta hasn’t at all times had constant minutes this 12 months, however with Porzingis sidelined, he crammed in properly. That’s the ability of a deep bench stuffed with acceptable position gamers – they received’t be good, however they may give you what you want on a short-handed night in February.
Taking part in in New York
The Celtics weren’t shy about what it meant to play in New York.
“I noticed Denzel Washington sitting courtroom facet, so I used to be enthusiastic about that,” Tatum mentioned with a small smile.
Tatum added that whereas Boston is one of the best place to play within the NBA, New York is “in all probability’ second.
“They bought all of the celebrities, however they’ve additionally bought that edge about them,” Tatum mentioned. “They know basketball, they’re passionate, they’re chanting and cheering the entire time, so it’s a particular place to play.”
Pritchard, an Oregon native, famous that he hadn’t been at a recreation at Madison Sq. Backyard earlier than he was within the NBA.
“You dream of moments like this, and to come back right here and play, and the depth of this recreation, it was undoubtedly a dream to play right here,” he mentioned.
Even Mazzulla, who hardly ever admits these kinds of issues, conceded that the second felt giant.
“I believe when you get on the market and you’re feeling the vitality of the Backyard, and you’re feeling the vitality of the 2 groups, when you get on the market, it’s clearly a recreation the fellows wished, and it ought to be that approach,” he mentioned. “On the identical time, now we have to do the identical factor 36 hours from now, nevertheless it was an amazing atmosphere, and I assumed the fellows form of relished in that and caught collectively.”
Two extra video games, then the break.
The Celtics have simply two extra video games till the All-Star break. On Monday, they tackle the Warmth in Miami at 7:30 p.m. earlier than returning house for a recreation in opposition to the newly improved Spurs with Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox on Wednesday earlier than the NBA takes every week off.
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