Jayson Tatum Stats Tonight: How did the Celtics superstar fare against Knicks? (Oct. 22) | 2024-25 NBA season
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics raised their championship banner on Tuesday to cap off their title run last season. They held the event in front of the New York Knicks at TD Garden for the season opener. The Knicks, expected to be serious challengers for the crown, made the crowd's excitement even more palpable.
Tatum didn’t waste time showing why the Celtics are favored to repeat. He scattered 25 points, dished out six assists and hauled four rebounds in the first half. Despite the presence of defensive aces Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, “Taco Jay” had his way against the Knicks. The Cs drubbed the visitors 43-24 in the first quarter and took a 75-55 lead by halftime.
Jayson Tatum's impressive opening night ended in the third quarter. Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla kept him on the bench as their team cruised to a 132-119 pounding of the New York Knicks.
Tatum's 12 third-quarter points helped push the defending champs to a 113-87 advantage with 12 more minutes to play. Mazzulla saw no reason to let "Taco Jay" play again after Jrue Holiday's layup made it 128-93 with 8:35 remaining in the game.
Jayson Tatum's stats against the New York Knicks:
Knicks defense had no answer for Jayson Tatum
The New York Knicks added OG Anunoby last season and Mikal Bridges in the offseason to shore up the team's wing defense. Josh Hart finally had some support in trying to slow down the NBA's best forwards.
On Tuesday, the trio couldn't stop Jayson Tatum from punishing the Knicks. All three couldn't consistently stop the All-NBA forward. Tatum wasn't just carving up the Knicks with his scoring, he was slicing him with his passes.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau even put Jalen Brunson on Tatum and sent aggressive help defense when the Boston superstar made his move. It still didn't work as Tatum remained efficient and deadly with his scoring and playmaking.
Tatum's offseason training to work on his stroke paid off against the Knicks. He shot 8-for-11 from deep, punishing the Knicks when they gave him too much space. The highly anticipated battle between the rivals ended in a rout as the visitors had no answer for Tatum.