It’s just one game, but it’s already obvious Kristaps Porzingis can make a difference for Celtics

Boston won its opener Wednesday, 108-104, in a heated matchup at Madison Square Garden that featured several technical fouls, including three new flopping techs, and an encouraging ending that saw the Celtics make the necessary plays to avoid a demoralizing meltdown.

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The luxury this team has over last season’s club is a definitive option other than Tatum and Jaylen Brown down the stretch. Porzingis scored 30 points in his debut, 15 in the first period, and 12 in the final 5:48, capped by that moonshot 3-pointer.

“That was awesome, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “Playing here at the Garden is always special. At one point it got really crazy but we stayed poised and we stayed calm and we were able to finish out the game making some big plays. An overall fun game to play in.”

President of basketball operations Brad Stevens sought Porzingis aggressively for the express purpose of having more options to close out games. The Knicks tried Mitchell Robinson on Porzingis in the opening period and that experiment failed miserably.

They countered with double teams, which reduced his shot attempts but they couldn’t sustain that method when the Celtics put shooters on the floor. That opened up more scoring opportunities for Porzingis, setting up that final three.

The atmosphere was raucous with the crowd seeking to upset their rivals to the North. Porzingis was the central figure of their ire, and it intensified when he was called for a technical after his forearm made contact with the jaw of New York’s Isaiah Hartenstein with 2:03 left and the Celtics trailing, 101-99.

MSG fans began chanting “[Bleep] Porzingis!” as officials reviewed the call. Porzingis said he doesn’t play well angry, so he opted to enjoy the serenade and used it as motivation. He followed with two free throws, that long three, and then two more free throws for a 4-point lead with 29 seconds left.

Porzingis was 8-for-15 shooting with five 3-pointers and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. The Celtics won despite just 44 points from those not named Tatum or Porzingis. Porzingis also finished with a game-high plus-13 in his nearly 38 minutes.

His presence is going to make a considerable difference offensively and defensively, especially when his teammates get accustomed to his skill set.

“He has an innate ability to put two on the ball (draw double teams),” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “When he gets the space, he’s a magnet [for defenders[ so we have to be able to continue to get better at our spacing. Because of him, we’ll get to some more post-ups like we did down the stretch and really change the spacing of the game throughout the game.”

For those unfamiliar with Mazzulla lingo, the only thing he loves more than spacing is saving timeouts. Porzingis will help spacing because of his ability to spread the floor, and when the Celtics move the ball with precision and quickness, he’ll get consistent open shots.

He also added four of the Celtics’ 11 blocked shots. The Knicks stayed close and eventually took the lead because of torrid 3-point shooting. New York hit 18 or more 3-pointers just seven times last season. It was 18 for 41 Wednesday.

“He just makes us that much more dynamic,” Tatum said. “Obviously with his size, ability to shoot and make plays off the dribble, they are going to double me late [so I] make the right play, find the open man, and obviously he can shoot from where. I mean he’s really, really good and we’re lucky to have him.”

It’s just the opening game but Porzingis has impacted the Celtics offensive. He’ll draw centers 25 feet away from the basket, opening up the paint for drives. He’s tall enough to shoot over any defender — well, maybe not Victor Wembanyama — but all the others.

And while he hasn’t played on championship-caliber clubs, he has played under immense pressure, especially during his first three seasons in New York, when he was tabbed a franchise cornerstone. After the Knicks refused to sign him to a rookie extension following an ACL tear, he indicated he wanted out and was dealt to the Mavericks in January 2019.

Wednesday was the fifth time he’s returned to MSG as a visiting player, and he’s been soundly jeered each time.

“It’s awesome feeling to come back, being a Celtic, and play here,” he said. “Even getting booed and all that, it’s still cool. I like that, enjoy that. I was using that as motivation to make some big plays at the end. Actually, it was really, really fun tonight to play and be in that type of environment.”

Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.