Together with the preseason, this would be the fourth time in simply over a month that the Celtics and Knicks lock horns. Boston spoiled Opening Evening at Madison Sq. Backyard again on October twenty fifth and can look to stay undefeated in opposition to their Atlantic Division rival after shedding the common season collection final 12 months 1-3.
Beneath head coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks boast the second finest protection within the league at 104.7 factors per 100 possessions; the Celtics are third at 104.9. Boston squeaked out a win of their first assembly 108-104 hitting simply 12-of-39 from behind the arc and permitting New York to make 18-of-41 of their threes.
There’s actually some luck relating to taking pictures percentages, notably within the first sport, however taking part in with every crew taking part in their tenth sport of the season, identities are starting to kind and solidify. It’s no shock {that a} Thibodeau-lead crew has hung their on the defensive finish (although they ranked simply nineteenth the 12 months prior). Their offense has taken a substantial hit largely to the taking pictures slumps of their two stars, Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. The latter is making lower than 33.6% of his seventeen shot makes an attempt and averaging three turnovers sport.
STARTERS
Jalen Brunson | Jrue Vacation
Quentin Grimes | Derrick White
RJ Barrett | Jaylen Brown
Julius Randle | Jayson Tatum
Mitchell Robinson | Kristaps Porzingis
BENCH ROTATION
Isaiah Hartenstein | Al Horford
Josh Hart | Payton Pritchard
Immanuel Quickley | Sam Hauser
Donte DiVincenzo | Oshae Brissett
In Boston, even at 7-2, it’s arduous to say what precisely the Celtics are at this level of the 12 months. They’re successful video games, certain, however have they got an id? They by far have the best web ranking within the NBA at 13.4 with the third most effective offense (118.5) and protection (104.9). In our CelticsBlog Slack, I requested the employees in the event that they considered this crew as an offensive juggernaut or defensive constrictor. Sam LaFrance advised that the protection is extra constant, however on nights when the nets are catching fireplace, none of that issues. In Saturday’s extinction of the Raptors, they held a crew to underneath 100 factors for the primary time all 12 months and assisted on 30 of their 47 subject targets with simply 12 turnovers.
“We’re nonetheless at first phases. Our chemistry is simply going to get so significantly better,” Porzingis stated on Saturday evening. “I’m telling you, it’s going to get quite a bit higher.”
Again in October, the Knicks had been in a position to whittle down double-digit leads all through the sport and had been up for almost all of the fourth quarter due to some well timed taking pictures and expensive turnovers. That’s a pattern that the Celtics have averted of their final two blowouts of Brooklyn and Toronto this weekend with the emergence of the second unit.
If there’s an x-factor heading into tonight’s rematch, it may be the backend of the rotations. Three weeks in the past, the Boston bench was out scored 38-12. Sixth Man of the Yr candidate Immanuel Quickley had 24. Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein chipped in 7 a bit. Al Horford had 8, Pritchard solely 4. However over the homestand, the Celtics second unit has averaged 32.5 factors per sport with Sam Hauser hitting 15 out of his final 30 three-point makes an attempt.
The Knicks are on the second evening of a back-to-back after beating the Hornets on Sunday afternoon to finish a sweep of their three-game set at MSG. Boston is trying to do the identical earlier than heading out on the street for 5 of their subsequent six video games.
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