The Celtics look to win their 5th straight game as they host the New York Knicks. This is the second straight game against division rivals. This is the 3rd of 4 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics won 132-109 in Boston on opening night and they won 131-104 in New York on February 8. They will meet one more time at Madison Square Garden on April 8.
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 306-190 overall all time vs the Knicks and they are 165-68 in games played at home.
The Knicks made moves this offseason with the goal of matching up better with the Celtics. In Mikal Bridges, the Knicks added a wing defender who can counter the Celtics All Star wings and who can also spread the floor. With the addition of Karl-Anthony Towns, they have addressed their weakness at center. Towns can match up with the Celtics centers and can also hit the three, having won the 3 point contest in 2022.
The one question about the Knicks is their depth. Having lost Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, Keita Bates-Diop, Alec Burks, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Knicks depth took a hit. They converted Ariel Hukporti from 2 way to a regular contract and signed OG Anunoby, Cameron Payne and Precious Achiuwa in free agency and traded Jericho Sims for Delon Wright at the trade deadline.
The Celtics remain 2nd in the East. They have won 4 straight games but have fallen to 6 behind 1st place Cleveland, who have won 6 straight. They are 3 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 8 games ahead of 4th place Indiana. They are 17-10 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 29-9 against Eastern Conference teams and 8-2 against the Atlantic Division. They have won their last 4 games.
The Knicks are 3rd in the East, 9 games behind the first place Cavaliers. They are 3 games behind 2nd place Boston and 5 games ahead of 4th place Indiana. They are 17-9 on the road and 26-12 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 9-2 against other Atlantic Division teams. They had won 3 straight before losing 142-105 to Cleveland on Friday.
The Celtics began the final stretch after the All Star break with a 20 point win at Philadelphia before returning home to host the Knicks. They then play at the Raptors and at the Pistons before a 7 game home stand against Cleveland, Denver, Portland, Philadelphia, LA Lakers, Utah, and Oklahoma City. After the 7 home games they will play 8 of the next 9 games on the road, including another trip out West.
For the Celtics, Xavier Tillman will miss this game with a knee injury and Neemias Queta is questionable due to a non-covid illness. For the Knicks, Mitchell Robinson remains out with an ankle injury. Kevin McCullar is out with a calf injury. Josh Hart is questionable for this game due to a knee injury. If he can play, he will likely start at small forward. OG Anunoby is questionable with a foot injury but he played in their game on Friday and will likely play in this one also.
Probable Celtics Starters
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PG: Jrue HolidaySG: Derrick WhiteSF: Jaylen BrownPF: Jayson TatumC: Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics ReservesLuke KornetAl HorfordPayton PritchardBaylor ScheiermanJordan WalshSam HauserTorrey Craig
2 Way PlayersJD DavisonDrew PetersonAnton Watson
Injuries/OutXavier Tillman (knee) outNeemias Queta (illness) questionable
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Knicks Starters
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PG: Jalen BrunsonSG: Mikal BridgesSF: Precious Achiuwa PF: OG AnunobyC: Karl-Anthony Towns
Knicks ReservesPacome DadietCameron PayneMiles McBrideTyler KolekDelon WrightLandry ShametAriel Hukporti
2 Way PlayersJacob Toppin Kevin McCullar, JrMatt Ryan
Injuries/Out Mitchell Robinson (ankle) out Kevin McCullar, Jr (calf) outJosh Hart (knee) questionable OG Anunoby (foot) questionable
Head Coach Tom Thibodeau
Key Matchups
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Jrue Holiday vs Jalen BrunsonKnicks’ All Star Jalen Brunson was 5th in MVP voting last season. He is averaging 26 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 7.5 assists. He is shooting 49.1% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc. In 2 games against the Celtics so far, he averaged 29 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 59.4% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc. Slowing him down needs to be a priority.
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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 24.8 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. He is shooting 53.4% from the field and 42.7% from beyond the arc. In 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 10.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2 assists, while shooting 47.1% from the field and 75% from beyond the arc. He will be a problem on the boards and also on the perimeter.
Honorable MentionJayson Tatum vs OG AnunobyAnunoby is averaging 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 48% from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc. In 1 game against the Celtics this season he finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal while shooting just 14.3% from the field and no 3 pointers. Jayson Tatum has been playing very well but he will have his work cut out for him as Anunoby is a very good defender brought in for the very purpose of guarding players like Tatum.
Keys to the GameDefense – Defense is the key to winning every game. IThe Celtics have a defensive rating of 109.6 (5th) while the Knicks have a defensive rating of 114.1 (18th). The Knicks score 118.1 points per game (4th) while the Celtics score 117.3 points per game (6th). The Celtics attempt 48.4 threes per game while the Knicks attempt just 34.1 threes. But the Knicks have a better 3 point percentage than the Celtics (37.4% to 36.9%). The Celtics must win this game with their defense.
Rebound – Rebounding is second to defense as the key to winning. The Celtics are 9th in the league, pulling down 45.2 rebounds per game while the Knicks are 23rd with 43 rebounds per game. It takes effort to get rebounds and the Celtics must go all out in their effort to beat the Sixers on the boards. The Celtics also need to give themselves extra possessions by rebounding on the offensive end and keep the Knicks from getting 2nd chance points on the defensive end. If the Celtics want to win this one, it is crucial that they go all out to crash the boards.
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 19.5 points off turnovers per game (4th).
Play All Out for 48 Minutes – When the Celtics have lost this season, it is usually because they weren’t playing as hard as their opponents. Tom Thibodeau has his teams play hard. The Celtics 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.
X-Factors Matinee Game at Home – The Celtics are back at home after a big win on the road in Philadelphia. Ordinarily, teams are at their best when playing at home in front of their own fans, but the Celtics this season have played better on the road than they have at home. They are saying the right things about needing to play harder at home so hopefully we see them use home court and the Knicks having distractions of playing on the road to their advantage in this one. Also, playing in the afternoon can be an x-factor as sometimes it throws players off their 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. 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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