The Boston Celtics finally locked in their first win of the season Friday night, but seriously, Deuce McBride made them sweat for it. This dude came off the Knicks bench and absolutely went off for 23 points, raining down six three-pointers in New York’s 107-103 loss at TD Garden. It was a close one, and a reminder that even against the defending champions, Boston can’t just cruise.
McBride Was an Absolute Flamethrower Off the Bench
McBride wasn’t hitting shots, he was straight up burying them, finishing 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. His shooting was the only thing keeping the defending champion Knicks breathing, especially when they were down by a dime heading into the fourth quarter. Ten points heading into the final frame? That’s a mountain, but McBride kept chipping away. His three-pointers helped keep New York in striking distance, and things got real tense when Jalen Brunson sliced the Celtics’ lead to just one point with 1:41 left on the clock. Talk about pressure! McBride accounted for six of the Knicks’ 16 total three-pointers in the game, a seriously impressive night from deep.
Tatum Delivered, But This Win Is a Huge Defensive Wake-Up Call
When it looked like the defending champs might actually pull off the comeback, Jayson Tatum stepped up big time for Boston. He hit a tough fallaway jumper, then followed it up with a long two and a crazy three-pointer right over Karl-Anthony Towns. Those shots were clutch, giving Boston some breathing room and shutting down New York’s comeback attempt. Paul George and Neemias Queta both dropped 15 points each, which is solid, but we gotta talk about the defense. McBride going off like that? Boston finished 15-for-38 from three-point range themselves, but they kept letting New York find ways to score from the perimeter.
This isn’t new either! Boston already watched a massive lead vanish in their season opener against Detroit. They got the ‘W’ this time against the defending champions, sure, but McBride’s explosion is a flashing red light. You can’t let one reserve guard almost flip the script on you like that.
So yeah, the Celtics snatched their first win against the defending champions, and that’s huge. They can totally soak in this result, but man, they absolutely need to remember the lesson Deuce McBride dished out. That kind of defensive lapse can’t happen again, not if they want to avoid those heart-attack finishes.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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