Kristaps Porzingis scores 30 points, picks up victory over MSG in Celtics’ debut

Porzingis finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and four steals, including scoring nine straight points to put Boston ahead at the end of the fourth quarter, as the Celtics beat the New York Knicks 108-104 in Madison Square. The park on a Wednesday night.

“That was amazing,” Porzingis said with a very wide smile when asked how he felt after beating his former team in his first match with his new team. “That was great, I’m not going to lie. Playing here at the Garden is always special for the home team, of course, but also on the road here it’s really fun.

“At one point, it got quite crazy when the fans got involved and came back. But we stayed prepared, kept calm and were able to finish the game.

“Overall, it’s definitely a fun game.”

It was a hot start for Porzingis, as he set a record for most points in a Celtics debut, surpassing Dominique Wilkins’ mark of 25 set in 1994.

He also showed his versatility. He led Boston in both threes, hitting 5 of the Celtics’ 12, while also leading the team with a 9-for-10 showing from the free throw line. He blocked four shots, changed several others and finished with a game-high plus-13 in 38 minutes.

“He has an innate ability to put two on the ball, whether they’re trying to rush or deflect, whether they’re trying to attack him, so when he gets space, he’s an attraction,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzola said. . “So we just have to continue to get better in our spacing, get better in our 2-on-1 reads, and it will look different than it did at times last year when he was on the floor. But, because of him, we can get to more posts like we did on The length of the stretch and really changes the spacing of the game.”

The Celtics needed every bit of Porzingis’ advantage after falling into a 99-93 hole with 4:10 remaining after an unfortunate 35 seconds from Jaylen Brown, who made two bad passes — one at halfcourt that was straight to Knicks guard Jalen. Brunson and another to no one in particular on an ensuing inbounds pass after a Julius Randle 3-pointer. Brown also fouled Quentin Grimes on a three-pointer.

That turned the tie score into a six-point deficit, sent the Garden fans into a frenzy and left the Knicks seemingly on the verge of beating Boston on national television here for the second time in three seasons.

Instead, Boston went on a 13-3 run, thanks to Porzingis, who hit six free throws around a huge 3-pointer down the right wing, putting the Celtics ahead for good with 89 seconds left.

“That was big,” Jayson Tatum said. “For us, we’ve got to call that timeout and figure it out. … I think we played at the right time. Obviously getting the bonus helped us. But the rebound kind of hurt us, allowing them to get second and third chances. So once we got going In getting stops, we gave them one chance, and we were under control.

“We knew we wanted to escape, we knew who we were trying to attack and we executed him.”

It was also the Celtics debut for Jrue Holiday, who Boston acquired on the eve of training camp just days after Holiday was shipped to the Portland Trail Blazers in a blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard. And while it was a quiet night offensively for Holiday — he finished with nine points, four rebounds, two assists and three blocks in 34 minutes — he contributed to a ferocious defensive effort for Boston that held Knicks stars Randle and Brunson to 11 points. – Shooting for 43, including 5-for-27 on 2-point shots.

The Knicks went 18-for-41 (43.9%) from 3-point range — including 13-for-20 on open threes, according to ESPN Stats & Information — but just 18-for-56 (32.1%). From inside the arch. Meanwhile, Boston shot 12-for-39 from 3 — including 3-for-15 in the open slot, per SIG, and 6-for-25 after a hot first quarter — but 25-for-38 (65.7%) on 2s.

However, in front of a crowd of 19,812 at MSG — a crowd that chanted “F— Porzingis” late in the fourth quarter when he was fouled for a technical foul for catching Knicks quarterback Isaiah Hartenstein in the face while trying to corral a defensive rebound — the Celtics showed plenty of poise and composure. Huge down the stretch against a playoff-caliber opponent.

Boston prevailed by getting the kind of performance from Porzingis that made them decide to shake up their team by trading Marcus Smart for an acquisition in June.

“He clearly makes us more dynamic with his size and ability to shoot and dribble,” said Tatum, who led Boston with 34 points and 11 rebounds. “When they double me late, they make the right play, they find an open guy. Obviously he can shoot from anywhere.”

“I mean he’s really good. He’s really good. We’re lucky to have him.”