NBA Opening Night Live: Celtics-Knicks; Timberwolves-Lakers

The 2024-25 NBA season began Tuesday with two blockbuster games – one featuring the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics, setting an NBA record, and the other featuring future Hall of Famer LeBron James, along with his son Bronny James made NBA history.

In the first game, the Celtics defeated the New York Knicks with a stunning 132-109 victory at TD Garden, in which the hosts tied the NBA mark for most 3-pointers made (29) in a game. Leading up to the contest, the Celtics also unveiled their record-tying 18th championship banner while also receiving their title rings.

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second game of the night as LeBron and Bronny became the first father-son duo to play in an NBA regular season game together.

Here are the top highlights from the games, as well as post-game insights from our ESPN Insiders.

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Takeaways | Knicks-Celtics updates | Timberwolves-Lakers updates

Takeaways

The Celtics are making the most of their special night

On these nights, the team that won their championship rings usually has a hard time staying focused. Instead, this evening became one where the only drama was the absurd fourth-quarter attempts to break the three-pointer record in a game, as Boston emphatically demonstrated Joe Mazzulla's belief that this team can attack this season, as if it hadn't won last year. For all the pressure on the Celtics last year, it's fair to say that Boston has less pressure this year. Here's how the Celtics played on Tuesday.

New York, on the other hand, made it clear after the game that they had to be much better defensively. Considering the Knicks face the powerful Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, it won't take long after a few days of film and practice to see how much better their defense can play. — Tim Bontemps

New York isn't there yet after the Flat show

The result was emphatic, but the result itself shouldn't have been. The Celtics, the defending champions and a club that can play well regardless of whether they have Kristaps Porzingis, came out and played like the dominant team they are, making 29 three-pointers in just over three quarters.

The Knicks may be able to compete across the board, but they're still a group with some key players learning to play together. They are not at the level of Boston. (If that's really what Boston is, then perhaps no one is.) But New York urgently needs to address its defense, which will take time, despite the individual talent it possesses on that side of the ball. — Chris Herring

Davis is in the spotlight on LeBron Bronny night

The Lakers' victory marked the first father-son duo in NBA history when LeBron James and Bronny James took the court in the second quarter, and it was the first game – and ultimately victory – for new Lakers coach JJ Redick. But Lakers star Anthony Davis' dominance shined above all other storylines as he finished the game with 36 points and 16 rebounds.

According to ESPN Research, Davis' scoring output was the most in a season opener by a Lakers player since Kobe Bryant scored 45 points against the Houston Rockets in 2007. Davis also recorded his 15th career game of 35 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, tying Wilt Chamberlain for the fourth-most in franchise history. That's good company against Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

LeBron, who turns 40 in December, was fairly quiet with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists, but the Lakers got a nice boost from Rui Hachimura, who scored 18 points. The Lakers were noticeably active in defense and forced 16 turnovers. which gave them 19 points. It wasn't a perfect night for the Lakers, but there was a lot for Redick to like about his first game as the Lakers' head coach. — Baxter Holmes

The Timberwolves' turnovers overshadowed Edwards' solid play

Anthony Edwards picked up where he left off in last year's playoffs, scoring 27 points and making the Lakers pay when they sent traps his way in the fourth quarter, but the Timberwolves couldn't be consistent in their first game with Julius Offensive sources find Randle in place of Karl-Anthony Towns.

The turnovers were particularly problematic for Minnesota in the first half, when the team had 11 points, which led to 14 points for the Lakers. And the Timberwolves' other starters other than Edwards shot just 1 of 11 from 3-point range, including a combined eight misses on as many attempts for Mike Conley and Jaden McDaniels.

However, there is a positive precedent. Minnesota also lost the season opener in Toronto last year, scoring just 94 points and then winning eight of the next nine games en route to the Western Conference finals. — Kevin Pelton