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BOSTON -- The first week of the NBA season was a good one for the Boston Celtics, having won three of their first four games.
But as we’ve seen in past years, success against some of the better teams in the East doesn’t always equate to dominance over cellar-dweller clubs like the New York Knicks.
Boston found that out on Friday as the Knicks, the same team Boston beat down by 23 points a week ago, gave the Celtics all they could handle before squeaking out a 104-102 win.
Jayson Tatum, who finished with 24 points, drained a long, 2-pointer for the game-winner.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics made a slew of uncharacteristic mistakes and turnovers and didn’t close out as well as they should have on New York’s shooters.
But when it mattered most, Boston had multiple players step up and deliver to catapult Boston to a hard-earned victory that extended their winning streak to four in a row.
Here are three takeaways from Boston’s 104-102 win over the New York Knicks.
Tatum-time: Jayson Tatum has shown tremendous growth all season. But what he did against the Knicks on Friday night was something that frankly, we had not seen from him at any point in his still-young NBA career. He didn’t just step up in the fourth quarter and make plays. Tatum did what all the superstars of the NBA do and that’s come through when the game is on the line. That long, 2-pointer he made for the win was the kind of shot that Tatum absolutely needed to knock down to show that his growth as an elite, big-time scorer was more than just highlight-worthy. It achieved what all big-time scorers want to do and that’s deliver the win, something that he and the Celtics will be challenged to do going forward with their upcoming road trip.
Klutch Kemba: Whether it was getting to the line or getting a shot to go down, Kemba Walker was exactly what the Celtics needed. It was Walker’s third straight game with 30 or more points, finishing with a game-high 33 points. But Walker did more than just get buckets. He also dished out five assists while grabbing six rebounds as well. It was the kind of performance you expect from your best player on a night when the team as a whole, didn’t quite have it going. The Celtics certainly felt good about what Walker was able to do, but the challenge now is whether he can deliver away from the TD Garden with the Celtics getting ample opportunities to do so in the coming weeks with eight of Boston’s next 10 on the road.
Grant Williams: On a night when a lot of things did not go Boston’s way, they can point to Grant Williams’ performance as one of the few bright spots. The 6-foot-6 forward had a strong night at both ends of the floor, scoring 10 points - all coming in the first half. With Boston being ravaged by injuries at the center position, Williams will be among those Boston will be counting on to give them solid defense and rebounding in the coming games, a challenge that’s all that more daunting with Boston on the cusp of hitting a road-heavy slate of games.
Edwards’ shooting funk: He came into Friday’s game struggling to make shots, and his play against the Knicks on Friday was more of the same. Edwards connected on just 25 percent of his field goal attempts and 22.2 percent from 3-point range prior to Friday’s game. Against the Knicks, he had just two points while missing five of his six shot attempts. More troubling than the misses was Edwards’ body language after being substituted out of the game in the fourth quarter. Boston has a stretch coming up with several road games, the kind of grind that will require everyone in a Celtics uniform to be ready to play and play well.
Second-chance points: The lack of size Boston has to play with even when healthy, will make rebounding a challenge every night. But the Celtics have to do a better job of limiting the second-chance points which more than anything else, is what really hurt Boston. The Knicks would finish the game with 20, second-chance points with none bigger than the 3-pointer by ex-Celtic Marcus Morris that tied the game with 4.7 seconds to play. Meanwhile, Boston tallied just five, second-chance points.
WATCH: Tatum responds to Morris 3, hits game-winning shot>>>
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