Boston Celtics 107, New York Knicks 103

The Knicks were level at the half and won the fourth quarter. They lost by four because of the minutes in between. Boston outscored New York 33-24 in the third, Jayson Tatum finished with 36 points, and the Celtics held on 107-103 at TD Garden on Friday night.

The loss left New York at 0-2. Boston moved to 1-1.

How it was won

The first half was close. The Knicks took the first quarter 27-26, Boston took the second 24-22, and the teams went to the locker room with the Celtics up 50-49.

The third quarter decided it. Boston scored 33 points in 12 minutes and turned a one-point lead into a 83-73 cushion going into the fourth. The Celtics' largest lead of the night was 12. New York's was 5.

The Knicks answered with a 30-24 fourth quarter, but the gap was too wide to close all the way.

The box score explains where the points went. New York turned the ball over 18 times to Boston's 11, and the Celtics won the paint 38-30. Boston shot 40-for-87 (46 percent) to New York's 36-for-80 (45 percent), so the difference was volume: seven extra shot attempts.

The Knicks did plenty right otherwise. They outrebounded Boston 44-37, made one more three (16-for-40 against 15-for-39) and got to the line more often, going 15-for-21 against 12-for-16. Six free throws left on the floor matter in a four-point game.

Tatum carried Boston. He scored 36 with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and he did it mostly inside the arc, going 3-for-10 from three. Paul George added 15 points and 7 rebounds, and Neemias Queta had 15 points and 6 rebounds.

For New York, Karl-Anthony Towns posted 22 points and 10 rebounds. OG Anunoby filled the sheet with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Miles McBride was the best shooter on the floor, scoring 20 points and hitting 6 of his 8 threes.

Three players at 20 or more is usually enough. Eighteen turnovers is usually not.

Against the number

Boston closed as a 2.5-point favorite and covered by winning by four. The Celtics were -148 on the moneyline; the Knicks were +124.

The total closed at 220.5 and the teams combined for 210, so the under came in by 10.5 points. Neither offense found a rhythm for long, and only Boston's third quarter pushed the scoring pace anywhere near the number.

The full closing board is on the game page.

What's next

The Knicks have played twice more since this game. They lost 106-100 at home to Philadelphia before this one, then followed Boston with a 111-102 home loss to Orlando, and finally got into the win column with a 111-97 win over Detroit. That puts them at 1-3.

Next up is a road game at the Bulls on Wednesday, October 28, on NBA League Pass.

The lesson from Boston carries over. The shooting and the rebounding were there; the ball security was not. Cut the turnovers and a game like this one tips the other way.

Boston's next game was not in the schedule information available to us at publication.