It was reigning threes at TD Garden, at least for one team as the Boston Celtics. The Celtics drained an NBA Opening Night Record 29 3-pointers as they cruised to a 132-109 victory over the New York Knicks in the first game of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Boston, which led the NBA in threes made and attempted last season, didn’t wait long to launch from downtown after receiving their championship rings from a year ago. The Celtics’ first shot of the night, just 12 seconds into the game, was a Jayson Tatum triple from 26 feet off an assist from Derrick White.
Boston Celtics Set 3-Point Opening Night Record
Three of Boston’s first four buckets were three-pointers as the Celtics led 13-12 with 7:45 left in the opening quarter. The Celtics would make seven more treys, including four in the final 2:50, in the frame as they led 43-24 after one quarter. They were 10 of 17 from deep, falling one short of the franchise record.
While the Celtics fell short of setting a franchise mark in the first quarter, the C’s kept up the 3-point barrage in the second quarter. The Celtics made seven treys in the second quarter to give them a franchise-tying 17 triples in the first 24 minutes. Their long-range bombing also helped the C’s maintain their 19-point cushion heading into halftime. Seventeen of the Celtics’ first-half 27 field goal goals were 3-pointers.
C’s Tie NBA 3-Point Record
Boston made nine more 3-pointers to surpass the Charlotte Hornets for most threes in an opening night game. The Hornets made 23 threes in their 126-125 victory over Chicago on October 23, 2019. The Hornets went 23 for 46 (52.6%), with PJ Washington leading the way with seven treys. Devonte Graham had six treys, and Marvin Williams sank five for the Hornets.
The Celtics were 41 of 75 from the field, including 26 of 45 from beyond the arc, through the first three quarters. However, the Celtics could only connect on just three more from downtown in the fourth quarter to tie the 2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks for the NBA record with 29 bombs.
It wasn’t that Boston didn’t try to set the mark. The Celtics attempted 16 3-pointers in the fourth, misfiring on their final 13 tries. The Celtics finished the game 29 for 61 (47.5%) from deep.
Tatum demonstrated he was a serious MVP candidate as he finished with 37 points on 14 of 18 shooting, 8 of 11 from the 3-point line, and eight assists. Derrick White drained six 3-pointers, and Jaylen Brown had five. Jrue Holiday added four treys, and Al Horford, who tied the record for the Celtics with a corner three early in the fourth, finished with three.
It is not surprising that Boston tied the NBA record. The Celtics have been trending towards doing so for the past several seasons. A season ago, the Celtics led the league in 3-pointers attempted and made. Their 16.5 made treys were over one-and-one-half more than Golden State’s, while their 42.5 attempts were three more than Dallas’s. The Celtics also finished second in 3-point percentage, just .1% behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Expect the trend to continue. Boston made an incredible 52.6 3-pointers during the preseason, or 55.4% of its field goal attempts. No other squad made more than 50% of its field goals from long distance.
Not only does coach Joe Mazzula want to shoot 3-pointers, but the Celtics’ roster is predicated on them. Each of the Celtics’ top six players can shoot them, and almost all of their second unit is capable of hitting them on a consistent basis. The lone exception may be Luke Kornet, though the 7-2 center does have 148 career triples.
