Celtics impressive in NBA’s 2024-2025 Season opener
Boston Celtics started their title-defense with a bang by dominating the New York Knicks, 132-109, in the opening night of the NBA's 2024-2025 Season.
It was also the night that the Celtics received their championship rings and the franchise's 18th banner was raised in the rafters of the TD Garden in Boston.
But before that, Jayson Tatum grabbed a microphone to say a few words that pumped-up the crowd.
“Enjoy this moment together. Let’s do it again,” he uttered.
Tatum was also the first to score in the game with a triple and finished with an astounding 8/11 from deep to set the tone for the Celtics to tie the most-three points made by a team in a game with 29. A record set by the Milwaukee Bucks in December 2020.
Boston shot 47.5 (29/61) percent from downtown to toppled the 36.17 (11/30) of the Knicks.
JT also led the team with his game-high 37 points, along with 10 assists, four rebounds, a steal and a block. He also had a game-high of +26.
The Celtics led by as much as 35 in the middle of the fourth period to make the game almost unreachable already. They also led in the rebounding and assisting departments. They only turn the ball over thrice against the 11 of New York.
Jalen Brown and Jrue Holiday scored 23 points each for Boston, while Derrick White and Luke Cornet added 21 and 14, respectively.
Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride led the Knicks with 22 markers each but have a combined -41 also.
Newly acquired big man Karl Anthony-Towns contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists in his new team.
The next two games of the Celtics will still be on the road. They will face the Wizards on October 25 (PHT) in Washington and against the Pistons on Sunday, October 27, in Detroit.
The Knicks will try to bounce back at home at the Madison Square Garden in New York when they battle the Indiana Pacers also on Sunday, October 27.
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San Miguel Beermen made a statement in Game 4 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals, against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 107-82, on Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena to even the best-of-seven series at 2-2.
CJ Perez spearheaded the charge with a near-complete performance, tallying 19 points, five rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block in almost 35 minutes of action. His energy sparked a game-changing 17-0 run in the fourth quarter that broke the game wide open for the Beermen.
Juami Tiongson added 14 points, while June Mar Fajardo turned in another monster game with 12 markers, a game-high 19 boards, three dimes, two deflections, and a rejection.
San Miguel’s well-balanced offense saw five players score in double figures, including Jericho Cruz and Rodney Brondial with 12 apiece, and Don Trollano who chipped in 11.
Game 5 is set for Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with both powerhouse squads looking to seize control of the series and inch closer to a Finals berth.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel bounced back in style, securing a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals series with a 100-90 win over the San Miguel Beermen on Sunday, June 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
RJ Abarrientos came up huge with a near triple-double performance—24 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists—leading the Gin Kings back on top after dropping Game 2.
Jamie Malonzo added 20 points with four rebounds and two assists, while Japeth Aguilar chipped in 18 markers alongside seven boards, two dimes, three steals, and two blocks in a vintage two-way showing.
Ginebra also got key contributions from Scottie Thompson and Stephen Holt. Thompson tallied 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block, while Holt recorded 10 points, seven boards, and a deflection.
For San Miguel, Don Trollano kept them in the fight with 22 points and three rebounds. JuneMar Fajardo posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, along with three dimes and a block.
CJ Perez and Jericho Cruz added 11 points apiece, while Juami Tiongson rounded out the Beermen’s double-digit scorers with 10.
Ginebra edged SMB 23-20 in the opening quarter, but the Beermen fought back strong in the second to take a 50-46 halftime lead. That momentum didn't last, as Ginebra responded with a commanding 25-14 third period to retake control at 71-64, then sealed the win with a 29-26 finish in the final frame.
“I’m just real proud of the guys for steadying themselves,” said head coach Tim Cone. “We figured a couple of things out. I felt we played with a really good tempo, and then RJ played tremendous down the stretch to keep them at bay.”
Game 4 is set for Wednesday, July 2, at 5:00 PM at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters broke through in their best-of-seven semi-finals series in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, taking Game 3 in dominant fashion with a 107-86 win over TNT Tropang 5G on Sunday, June 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Anton Asistio powered the Elasto Painters with a personal playoff-high 24 points off the bench. He also tallied six assists and a rebound in just under 29 minutes of action, going 7-of-9 from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point range, and 2-of-3 from the four-point arc.
Caelan Tiongson added 16 markers, four rebounds, one assist, and a block, while Keith Datu delivered a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double performance to go with two assists and a rejection.
Leonard Santillan contributed 12 points and eight rebounds, while Andrei Caracut chipped in 10 points, four assists, and four steals, helping Rain or Shine build early momentum and keep control through most of the game.
TNT, on the other hand, struggled without RR Pogoy, Jayson Castro, and Rey Nambatac. Calvin Oftana led the Tropa with 16 points and eight rebounds but registered a -22 plus-minus while shooting just 1-of-6 from deep. Simon Enciso and Glenn Khobuntin added 12 points each.