Celtics 118-95 win over Knicks saw Kemba explosion, Grant's promise and Tacko Time

The Boston Celtics pulled away in the third quarter with the game tied at 72-72 to defeat the New York Knicks by a score 0f 118-95. Kemba Walker was the star of the game, coming away with a team-high 32 points on 11-of-17 from the field and 7-of-12 on treys. he also managed five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

The Knicks aren't even attempting to defend Tacko lmao pic.twitter.com/2L1L9s9ARL

— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) October 27, 2019

Brad Stevens' rookies got a good run in this contest, with both Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards getting the nod late in the first quarter. With Edwards manning the point in place of Walker, he logged 22 minutes, notching 10 points, three assists and two steals. Edwards was dogging the Knicks' ball handlers full-court, and his quickness on his steals was astonishing.

G-Will put in a solid 19 minutes, putting up seven points along with three steals and two blocks. This youngster does not play like a rookie, and it is getting noticed around the League.

Don't take his size for Grant-ed!@Grant2Will pic.twitter.com/2dxh5Y3H6G

— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) October 27, 2019

Scal just now said, “The offense runs so much smoother wth Grant Williams out there” which is an insane thing to say about a rookie but also accurate.

— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) October 27, 2019

Once the game was decided late in the fourth quarter it was Tacko Time in the Big Apple. The New York crowd all-but demanded his presence on the floor, and here he came. In a mere three minutes of play, he put up four points (2-of-4) with three rebounds and one clean block that he did not get credit for. The early morning discussion on NBA TV was, how did Tacko Fall not get drafted and then make an NBA roster? This Green Giant is much more than the second coming of Manute Bol.

TIMELORD KILLED A GUY pic.twitter.com/C32njk83nr

— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) October 27, 2019

With Enes Kanter and Daniel Theis out with injuries, Rob Williams got the start at center. In 21 minutes of floor time, he had a line of four points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. For what they are worth, his per-36-minutes stats after three games are:

11.5 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 3.8 APG, 3.8 SPG, 2.3 BPG, 1.5 TOPG

TIMELORD only picked up three fouls in this one, bringing his 3-game average down to 8.4 fouls per 36 minutes. More experience should bring a further drop and more respect from the officials.

When Smart knows, he knows 😏 pic.twitter.com/Xn1d1ZaWdX

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 27, 2019

Both Jay Team members, Jaylen and Jayson, had solid outings - Tatum with 15 points, nine boards and four steals. Jaylen had 19 points, four rebounds and two assists. They shared team-high plus/minus with +20/each. Smart had his usual diverse line of 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks. Gordon Hayward finished with nine points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal.

The Celtics are now 2-1 for the new season. The core quintet of Walker, Smart, Tatum, Brown and Hayward are performing as hoped and expected. The rookies are looking good early on - while sophomore, Rob Williams, just keeps progressing. Guys in Green are looking good.

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