What championship hangover?
Hours after hanging the franchise’s 18th banner, the Boston Celtics made as big a statement as you can on Tuesday’s opening night, dominating the New York Knicks from deep by tying the NBA record for most three-pointers in a single game with 29 in their 132-109 win.
However, they had countless chances to break the record.
With 8:54 left in regulation and the Celtics up 33 points, they decided to go completely and utterly cold from long-range, missing 13 straight three-pointers to lose out on the record.
The record-tying bucket came from a 23-foot make from the 38-year-old Al Horford.
Jayson Tatum — fresh off two DNPs with Team USA at the Olympics — led the way with 37 points, four rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 14 for 18 from the field and eight for 11 from deep.
The other Team USA athletes Derrick White and Jrue Holiday had six and four three-pointers respectively.
The last Celtic with a chip on his shoulder, Jaylen Brown, added another five from his spot on the wing.
They opened the game with 16 three-pointers in the first half, getting off to a hot start to pace what would become the theme of the night. They broke their own franchise record on their 28th make of the night.
The Milwaukee Bucks held the previous record for three-pointers made at 29. They set that mark in a blowout 144-97 win over the Miami Heat on Dec. 29, 2020.
In that record-setting game, the Bucks shot 29 for 51 from deep for 56.9 per cent. 51 of their 92 field goal attempts came from beyond the arc.
