Poor shooting by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle led to the Knicks’ loss

The New York Knicks stayed competitive throughout their inaugural game of the season, even though their primary scorers, Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, struggled with inaccurate shooting from the beginning to the end.

Despite their efforts, the Knicks fell short, losing 108-104 to the Boston Celtics in the season opener at the Garden.

“I don’t know, man. We just missed shots. The basket had a lid on it,” Randle said after missing 17 of 22, plus four of five from the free-throw line, to finish with 14 points. “But those are shots that we’ll take and we’ll make.”

Brunson had a challenging night, making only 6 out of 21 field goal attempts.

Additionally, he failed to capitalize on his single free-throw opportunity, a crucial technical foul shot, during the fourth quarter with 2:03 remaining.

“One, I gotta be better. Yeah, way better,” said Brunson, who had 15 points and six assists. “It comes down to us playing a full 48 minutes. We had a six-point lead with like four minutes left. We just didn’t get it done.

“I missed a big free throw off the technical, lost a little momentum with that. So I need to be better, first and foremost. … I just gotta be better, more patient, gotta be under control. I just missed shots that I normally make. So I’m not really too worried about it, but I need to be better.”