Celtics rediscover range from beyond 3-point line in Game 3
The Celtics made 20 of 40 3-pointers in their Game 3 win over the Knicks.
NEW YORK — After shooting a frigid 25 percent from 3-point range over the first two games, the Celtics bombarded the Knicks from beyond the arc in Game 3.
They buried six of their first seven attempts from deep, and the lead began to swell as the shots kept falling. They built a 25-point halftime lead, and New York was unable to overcome the deficit in the 115-93 Boston triumph.
Jayson Tatum stepped into multiple pull-up threes with confidence at the top of the key as New York’s big men scrambled to get a hand in his face. Al Horford and Payton Pritchard knocked down timely open looks. Jaylen Brown got himself going early, using a screen from Horford to free himself for an early triple.
Throughout the week, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had insisted that he liked the looks the Celtics were getting and that the team was simply missing open shots.
“That’s a novel concept, huh?” Mazzulla asked sarcastically at practice on Tuesday. “Just make them when you’re open? Yeah.”
The Celtics came into the game with a league-leading 58 open shot attempts over the first two games of the conference semifinals, making just 24 percent of them. They drilled 20 of their 40 3-point attempts on Saturday for an even 50 percent from deep.
Shooting slumps are part of the game, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. The Celtics snapped theirs Saturday afternoon and now have a chance to tie the series with a win on Monday.
“I don’t think there’s any player in this league that’s going to shoot great in every game,” Thibodeau said. ”There’s ups and downs to it. Sometimes it’s the defense, sometimes it’s just you missed the shot, you shot it great and it was in-and-out and that’s part of the game.
“And then you have to have the mental toughness to get through that. Mentally, if you believe the next one’s in, you’ll continue to shoot.”
The Celtics will need to do more than just hit open shots in order to tie the series heading into Wednesday’s Game 5 at TD Garden, Mazzulla said.
“That’s the easy thing to look at, but we won the end of quarters and we didn’t have 11 live-ball turnovers,” Mazzulla said. “I can’t stress to you [enough] the importance of not throwing the ball to the other team so they get out in transition and they have 28 points in transition in Game 2. And not ending quarters well, when [the lead] is at 20 and it gets to 12 with 58 seconds left.”
“You have to end quarters. You have to start quarters well. You have to value the basketball. You have to win the margins. That’s all we talked about over the last 72 hours, and that’s the most important thing.”
Porzingis plays more
Kristaps Porzingis, who has been dealing with a flare-up of symptoms from a viral illness that caused him to miss multiple games in March, came off the bench again in Game 3, with Horford starting in his place.
Porzingis played a series-high 19 minutes on Saturday but missed all three of his field-goal attempts. He scored five points, all of which came from the free-throw line. His length came in handy on the defensive end, as he blocked three shots and grabbed four defensive rebounds.
“He gave us some good stuff on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla said. “Rim protection, screening offensively, we got some good stuff out of that. I appreciate him battling through.”
Horford finished one rebound shy of a double-double, tallying 15 points and 9 boards. He hit three of his four 3-point attempts and swatted two shots.
Sam Hauser missed his second consecutive game with a sprained ankle. He was listed as doubtful on the pregame injury report, and was the only Celtic listed on it.
Quiet in the Garden
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who shot 9-for-21 from the field and committed four turnovers, said that the Knicks have plenty of work to do after the blowout loss.
New York needs to show up with a more serious effort Monday night, he said softly at the podium.
“There’s not a lot I can say,” Brunson said after his 27-point effort. “There’s a lot that we need to discuss tomorrow and figure out. We need to play with more of a sense of urgency.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com