BOSTON — The Boston crowd chanted “One more 3!”
The Celtics did their best, firing up 13 shots from 3-point range in an attempt to break the NBA record for 3s in a game — and missing them all. In the end, all the defending champions could do in their 132-109 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night was tie the record of 29 3s made by Milwaukee in 2020.
“It was almost like we got jinxed or something,” said Jaylen Brown, who scored 23 points and was 5 of 9 from 3-point range but tossed up an airball with a chance to break the record.
“When we were just playing, having fun, playing our style of basketball, everything was going in,” Brown said. “The crowd got into it, and we started hunting them, we couldn’t even hit the bright side of the barn.”
Jayson Tatum made 8 of 11 from long distance and Derrick White connected on six as the Celtics made 29 of their first 48 3-point attempts while opening a 35-point lead over New York on the night Boston raised its 18th championship banner to the rafters.
The Celtics made 10 of 17 3-pointers in the first quarter when they opened a 19-point lead. They added seven 3s in the second quarter and nine in the third. Al Horford tied the record from the left side with about nine minutes left in the game and the Celtics leading by 33.
Then the defending champions couldn’t find the hoop.
Brown and Xavier Tillman each fired up an airball from beyond the arc, and the Celtics scored just three more times the rest of the way — all 2-pointers — with just one basket after the 6:37 mark. Neither team scored at all in the final 3:43.
Payton Pritchard was the master bricklayer, missing five from long range. Sam Hauser missed three, Tillman missed two and Jordan Walsh missed one. Boston finished 29 of 61 from 3-point range.
“When we were tied, I was like ‘We’re one away from the record,’” White said. “I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s kind of like a no-hitter, huh? I blame myself.”