Jayson Tatum Answers Rough Celtics Opener With Clutch Performance Against Knicks originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jayson Tatum gave the Celtics the response they needed Friday night. After a rough season opener, he scored 36 points and came through late as Boston held off the defending champion New York Knicks, 107-103, at TD Garden.
Tatum added nine rebounds and seven assists, filling the box score while taking charge when the game tightened. The performance was a sharp turnaround from Tuesday’s loss to Detroit, when he finished with 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting.
Tatum Took Control After Halftime
The Celtics needed time to find their rhythm. Tatum had 11 points at the break, and Boston led by only one after two quarters. He found more space in the third, scoring 16 points as the Celtics put together their best stretch of the night and carried an 83-73 lead into the fourth.
JAYSON TATUM TOOK OVER IN THE 4TH TO BEAT THE KNICKS 😳 36 PTS and the W! https://t.co/z2SrlW47He
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 24, 2026
That advantage nearly disappeared. New York kept pressing, and Jalen Brunson brought the Knicks within one point with 1:41 left. With the Celtics facing another tense finish after their season-opening collapse, Tatum answered with a difficult fallaway jumper to push Boston back in front.
The Knicks continued to threaten, but Tatum kept responding. He hit a long two, then knocked down a three-pointer over Karl-Anthony Towns. Those baskets helped Boston protect its lead, and the Celtics held on for the four-point win.
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Boston Gets A Different Ending
Boston’s opener against Detroit ended with the Celtics surrendering a 22-point lead. Friday’s game brought a different kind of pressure: the Celtics had built a lead again, but this time had to make plays late to keep the Knicks from taking the game away.
Tatum supplied those plays. Paul George and Neemias Queta added 15 points apiece, giving Boston important support, but it was Tatum who stopped New York’s late push.
One win doesn’t erase the questions raised by the opener. The Celtics still have plenty to clean up, and the Knicks made them work for every possession down the stretch. But Tatum’s response was an encouraging sign: when Boston needed its star to take over, he did.