The New York Knicks’ starting lineup set the early pace, but it was a strong performance from their bench, led by Immanuel Quickley, that secured their victory in the 2023 preseason opener against the Boston Celtics.

In a contest primarily featuring reserve players at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks emerged victorious with a final score of 114-107, marking the start of the 2023 preseason.

Facing a Celtics team that had most of its key players, including Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jayson Tatum, sitting out, the Knicks began the game with their starting five from the previous year. Jalen Brunson impressed with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in just six minutes, while Julius Randle contributed 11 points and four rebounds in 13 minutes of play. Mitchell Robinson had a strong performance on both ends of the court, tallying 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. RJ Barrett led the starters with 12 points, despite struggling with his field goal shooting, though he went 9-of-9 from the free-throw line after a season where his free-throw percentage improved significantly.

Immanuel Quickley was the standout for the Knicks, leading the team with 21 points, including 14 in the third quarter, helping secure a lasting lead. Evan Fournier, coming off the bench, also reached double figures with 11 points, primarily through three-pointers on seven attempts. Donte DiVincenzo contributed eight points in his unofficial Knicks debut. Both Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono, former teammates of DiVincenzo, were absent from the preseason opener, with Hart having recently represented the United States at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

For Boston (1-1), most of their star players were rested after a previous preseason win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Payton Pritchard once again led the Celtics in scoring with 21 points, closely followed by Dalano Banton with 20 points. Former Knick Svi Mykhailiuk chipped in with 15 points off the bench.

Looking ahead, both the Knicks and Celtics will kick off their regular seasons with a matchup at Madison Square Garden on October 25. Before that, they will face each other in another preseason game in Boston on October 17.

In the meantime, the Knicks will continue their preseason campaign with a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at MSG on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV).