New York’s lost its first two meetings against Boston this season, including a 119-14 loss on Christmas Day that began a 2-11 stretch for the Knicks who continue to desperately search for answers to their on-going slump.
They enter this game coming off a heartbreaking loss to Atlanta at home on Monday, during which Carmelo Anthony powered them with 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting despite missing a potential game-winning bucket in the final seconds of play.
The Knicks shot relatively well (49.4 FG%) as a team there, but their defense and carelessness with the rock ultimately led to their demise. They gave up 108 points and committed 18 turnovers, which resulted into 18 Hawks points.
Kristaps Porzingis (19.4 PPG) has also missed the last three games with a hurting Achilles, but he’s expected to return tonight in Boston. His presence has been dearly missed, especially on offense where New York’s had to rely mostly on either Anthony or Derrick Rose to carry the load.
Isaiah Thomas has been one of hottest topics in the NBA right now. He’s basically gone on a scoring tear of late, most especially in the fourth quarter where he recently scored 17 of his 35 points to carry Boston to its third-straight win on Monday against the visiting Hornets, 108-98.
The All-Star guard boasts a league-leading 10.1 scoring average in the final period. He’s also averaging nearly 30 points in home games this season—something that should continue manifesting on the court tonight against the Knicks. Thomas is posting 20.1 points and 5.4 assists through 14 career games with New York.
Meanwhile, Avery Bradley (17.7 PPG), the Celtics’ second-leading scorer, made his return on Monday from a four-game absence. However, he was clearly rusty all game long, finishing with a season-low five points on 2-for-9 shooting.
Kelly Olynyk has surprisingly provided a big lift off the bench for the Celtics lately, racking up 26 and 15 points, respectively, in the last two games.
