Brown leads Celtics romp past Knicks

BOSTON -- Jaylen Brown scored 23 points, Jayson Tatum added 22 and the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks 110-89 on Tuesday night.

Kyrie Irving added 20 points and seven assists. Al Horford finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

After dropping their first two games to open the season, the Celtics have won two straight. The Knicks remain winless through their first three games.

Enes Kanter led New York with 16 points and 19 rebounds. But he got most of them in a first half in as his team struggled mightily from the field. The Knicks scored the first basket of the night, but never led again. They shot just 42 percent and went 1 of 12 from the 3-point line.

Boston played without guard Marcus Smart, who sat out his second straight game with a sprained left ankle.

But they didn't need him. The Celtics played like a team coming off four days' rest, taking as much as a 25-point lead late in the second quarter.

New York never recovered.

Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said before the game that Tim Hardaway Jr. had been playing through an ankle injury. He took a couple of hard spills, but still logged 28 minutes. He finished with six points, connecting on just 2 of his 11 shots.

TIP-INS

Knicks: Kanter had 16 rebounds in the first half. ... New York went 0 for 6 from 3-point line and committed 11 turnovers in the first half.

Celtics: This is the third time this season they have scored 100 or more points. ... Had five of their seven blocks in the first half. ... Coach Brad Stevens said Smart remains day-to-day, but expects that he will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip.

DYNAMIC DUO

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Tatum and Brown are the first Celtics' duo ever to score 20-plus points at 21 years or younger in the same game in team history.

UP NEXT

Knicks: Host Nets on Friday.

Celtics: Begin two-game road trip Thursday at Milwaukee.

Associated Press