The Celtics look for their 9th straight road win as they travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks. This is the 4th, and final, meeting between these two teams this season. The Celtics are 3-0 so far this season against the Knicks, winning twice in Boston and once at Madison Square Garden. The Celtics are playing on the first night of back to back games. They are 10-2 so far in the first of back to back games and they are 6-1 when the first game is on the road.
Last season, the Celtics won the series between these two teams, winning the first 4 games (2 in Boston and 2 in New York) and losing just their final meeting at Boston. They played one extra game due to the in-season tournament. The Celtics are 307-190 overall all time vs the Knicks and they are 129-109 in games played in New York.
The Celtics remain 2nd in the East. They are 4 games behind 1st place Cleveland. They are 8 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 11 games ahead of 4th place Indiana. They are 32-7 on the road and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are 36-12 against Eastern Conference teams and 13-2 against the Atlantic Division. They have won their last 2 games.
The Knicks are3rd in the East, 12 games behind first place Cleveland. They are 8 games behind 2nd place Boston and 3 games ahead of 4th place Indiana. They are 27-12 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 33-15 against Eastern Conference teams and 11-3 against the Atlantic Division. They have won their last 2 games.
The Celtics lost their first game back at home after a 6-0 road trip to the Heat. They won their 2nd game at home 123-103 over the Suns on Friday and the 3rd game after the trip over the Wizards. They are back on the road for back to back games at New York and at Orlando. They will finish the season with 2 games against the Charlotte Hornets at home.
The Knicks are coming off a loss at Cleveland and a win at Atlanta and a win at home against Phoenix. After this game at home against the Celtics,they will play on the road at Detroit. They then return home to face the Cleveland Cavaliers and they will close out the season on the road at Brooklyn.
The Celtics have a lengthy injury list at this time but just one player has been ruled out. Al Horford will miss this game due to injury management of a sprained toe. Kristaps Porzingis is questionable with an illness. Jalen Brown is questionable due to a knee injury. Jayson Tatum is questionable due to an ankle sprain. Derrick White (knee) and Jrue Holiday(shoulder) are both probable. I’ve included the regular starters since at this time it’s unclear who will play and who will sit.
The Knicks Have just one player listed as out on their injury list. Ariel Hukporti is out after undergoing surgery on Feb. 28 for a torn meniscus and has yet to resume basketball activities. Jalen Brunson returned Sunday from missing 15 games due to a sprained ankle. He is probable for this game. Miles McBride is also probable with a groin injury.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jordan Walsh
Luke Kornet
Torrey Craig
Sam Hauser
Xavier Tillman, Sr
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Miles Norris
Injuries/Out
Jaylen Brown (knee) questionable
Jayson Tatum (ankle) questionable
Derrick White (knee) probable
Jrue Holiday (shoulder) probable
Kristaps Porzingis (illness)questionable
Al Horford (toe) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Knicks Starters
Knicks Reserves
Delon Wright
Cameron Payne
Miles McBride
Pacome Dadiet
Precious Azhiuwa
Tyler Kolek
PJ Tucker
Mitchell Robinson
Landry Shamet
2 Way Players
MarJon Beauchamp
Kevin McCullar, Jr
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Miles McBride (groin) probable
Jalen Brunson (ankle) probable
Ariel Hukporti (knee) out
Head Coach
Tom Thibodeau
Key Matchups
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Jrue Holiday
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images
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Jalen Brunson
Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs Jalen Brunson
Knicks’ All Star Jalen Brunson was 5th in MVP voting last season. He is averaging 26.1 points, 3 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. He is shooting 48.9% from the field and 38.2% from beyond the arc. In 3 games against the Celtics so far, he averaged 26.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 54.9% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc. Slowing him down needs to be a priority.
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Kristaps Porzingis
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
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Karl-Anthony Towns
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Kristaps Porzingis vs Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns gives the Knicks a strong presence in the paint along with the ability to spread the floor. He is averaging 24.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. He is shooting 52.3% from the field and 42.2% from beyond the arc. In 3 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 15 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, while shooting 45.9% from the field and 75% from beyond the arc. He will be a problem in the paint and also on the perimeter.
Honorable Mention
Jayson Tatum vs OG Anunoby
Anunoby is averaging 18.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 48% from the field and 37.9% from beyond the arc. In 2 games against the Celtics this season he finished with 7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting just 21.4% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc. Anunoby is also a very good defender and will make harder for the Celtics to score in this game.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is the key to winning every game. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 110.4(5th) while the Knicks have a defensive rating of 113.2 (13th). The Knicks score 116.1 points per game (9th) while the Celtics score 116.9 points per game (8th). The Celtics attempt 48.3 threes per game while the Knicks attempt just 33.8 threes. Both teams shoot 37% from beyond the arc. The Knicks are 5th with 52.9 points in the paint while the Celtics are last with just 41.5 points in the paint. The Celtics must win this game with their defense.
Rebound – The Celtics can’t score if they don’t have the ball, and the best way to get the ball is to grab rebounds. The Celtics need to rebound as a team with every Celtic battling on the boards. It will take a team effort to beat the Knicks on the boards. The Celtics are 6th with 45.3 rebounds per game while the Knicks are 24th with 42.8 rebounds per game. The Celtics must put in extra effort to crash the boards and beat the Knicks to rebounds.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics need to move the ball in order to find the best shot on each possession. When the ball sticks and players try to do too much, the Celtics struggle. They are at their best when they pass the ball and keep it moving. But they have to make careful passes and not get sloppy because the Knicks average 19.3 points off turnovers per game (4th).
Play All Out 48 Minutes – When the Celtics have lost this season, it is usually because they weren’t playing as hard as their opponents. They can’t afford to allow the Knicks to play harder than them if they want to win this game. They have to play hard from the opening tip until the final buzzer and not allow the Knicks to out-work them for any stretch during the game. The Celtics shouldn’t let up on their effort because they have beaten the Knicks 3 times already. The Knicks are a dangerous team and will beat the Celtics if they don’t play hard.
X-Factors
On the Road Again – The Celtics are playing on the road once again, where they are playing better than they are at home. They need to overcome the distractions of playing on the road and in front of a hostile crowd and stay focused on playing the right way. They have to come out playing hard right from the beginning to keep the Knicks’ crowd from getting into the game.
Officiating – Officiating always has the potential to be an x-factor. Each officiating crew calls the game differently. Some refs call it tight and constantly call fouls while others let them play with few fouls called. Some refs just make terrible head-scratching calls. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus.
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