Jayson Tatum scores 36 as Celtics hold off Knicks 107-103 and drop defending champs to 0-2

Jayson Tatum wanted the ball late, and he got it. Tatum scored 36 points, including seven of Boston’s final eight, and the Celtics held off the New York Knicks 107-103 on Friday night, Oct. 23, at TD Garden.

The result gave Boston (1-1) its first win of the season in its home opener. It also left the defending NBA champion Knicks at 0-2. NBA.com noted they are the first defending champion to open 0-2 since the 2011-12 Dallas Mavericks.

Tatum’s three straight answers

Boston led by as many as 12 in the second half after winning the third quarter 33-24. The Knicks then made a late run, 12-3 by the AP’s count and 16-5 by NBA.com’s, and Jalen Brunson’s mid-range shot pulled New York within one, 99-98, with under two minutes left.

What followed was a one-man closing sequence, as described by the AP, NBA.com and the Celtics:

1. Tatum spun away from Josh Hart in the mid-post and hit a fadeaway jumper for a three-point lead.
2. He drew an offensive foul on Karl-Anthony Towns at the other end, then hit a deep two over Hart.
3. After two OG Anunoby free throws cut it to 103-100, Tatum pump-faked against Towns on a switch and buried a 3 from the left wing with about 30 seconds left.

Miles “Deuce” McBride hit a 3 to make it a three-point game with 13.9 seconds left, but Payton Pritchard sealed it at the free-throw line.

Box score leaders

Tatum’s night was a sharp turnaround from the opener in Detroit, where he scored 13 on 6-of-23 shooting. “That’s probably the game that everybody expects 82 nights a year,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said, per NBA.com.

Where the game was won

The Celtics’ team recap pointed to a few margins:

• Turnovers: New York committed 18 to Boston’s 11.
• Paint: Boston outscored New York 38-30 inside.
• Threes: nearly even, with the Knicks 16-for-40 and the Celtics 15-for-39.
• Rim protection: Queta had three blocks, one more than the entire Knicks team.

The game had 12 lead changes and four ties, the AP reported. It was the 503rd meeting between the two franchises, the most of any matchup in NBA history, according to NBA.com.

Mitchell Robinson faces his old team

The night carried extra weight for Mitchell Robinson, who spent his first eight seasons with the Knicks and signed with Boston in free agency after helping New York win last season’s title. “I love y’all, but tonight, we’re not friends,” he said before the game in an interview on Prime Video.

Foul trouble limited him to 22 minutes and four points, but he had the play of the fourth quarter: within 21 seconds, he blocked a Towns layup and then finished an alley-oop from Derrick White on the other end.

What about Mikal Bridges?

Bridges went scoreless against Boston, NBA.com reported, and is 2-for-16 from the field through two games. “He’s getting the looks that he needs to get, he’s just gotta knock them down now,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.

The Knicks opened with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on banner night at Madison Square Garden. Their two losses, both to teams NBA general managers expected to finish near the top of the East, came by a combined 10 points.

What’s next

• Knicks: host the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
• Celtics: host the Chicago Bulls on Monday.

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