The Celtics travel to New York to take on the Knicks in the third of four meetings this season. The Celtics won the first meeting 133-118 at New York on November 5. The Knicks won the second meeting 120-117 on January 26 in Boston. They will meet again in Boston on March 5. They tied the series 2-2 last season with each team winning twice on their home court.
The Knicks are playing in the 2nd game of a 3 game home stand. They beat the New Orleans Pelicans 128-106 on Saturday in a game that they led wire to wire. They will host Brooklyn on Wednesday before playing 2 straight on the road, including a game against the Celtics in Boston. The Celtics are playing in the 3rd game of a 3 game road trip. They won the first two games in Indiana and Philadelphia. They will start a 3 game home stand on Wednesday.
The Celtics remain 1st in the East. They are clinging to a half a game lead over the Bucks, who have won 14 straight games. They are 4 games ahead of 3rd place Philadelphia and 6.5 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland. They are also 2 games ahead of West leading Denver. The Celtics are 20-10 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 27-12 against Eastern Conference teams and 9-1 against Atlantic Division foes. They have won their last 3 games.
The Knicks are 6th in the East. They are tied with 5th place Brooklyn and 2 games behind 4th place Cleveland. They are 2.5 games ahead of 7th place Miami and a spot in the play-in tournament. They are 6.5 games ahead of 11th place Chicago and out of the playoffs. The Knicks are 17-15 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 24-16 against Eastern Conference teams and 5-8 against Atlantic Division opponents. They have won their last 5 games.
The Celtics have gone 9-2 since the Knicks beat them 120-117 in OT in Boston. Jaylen Brown had a chance to put the Celtics ahead with just over 7 seconds left in regulation but missed 2 free throws and the Knicks went on to win that game in overtime. The Knicks have gone 7-4 since that game. The Celtics are 300-187 overall all time against the Knicks. They are 126-108 all time in games played in New York.
It was nice having everyone except Danilo Gallinari available for the game on Saturday in Philadelphia. But, that didn’t last long as Jaylen Brown is expected to miss this game for personal reasons. Derrick White is listed as probable for this game with soreness in his ankle. He is expected to play but will be a game time decision. I expect him to…
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