Game Preview: New York Knicks at Boston Celtics, April 11, 2024

Today marks the New York Knicks’ first game since clinching a playoff spot and boy does it have the potential to be an important yet weird one. Heading into tonight’s matchup against the first-place 62-17 Boston Celtics, the Knicks find themselves with sole possession of third place in the eastern conference, sitting half a game ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers and a game ahead of the Orlando Magic. A win tonight would help distance the Knicks from those two teams, both of whom are off tonight, but a loss would significantly hurt their chances of catching up to the second-place Milwaukee Bucks, who currently are 1.5 games ahead of them.

Now, beating this Celtics team, who have pretty much been the undisputed best team in the league wire-to-wire, is no easy task. They rank first in offensive rating, second in defensive rating, and rank first in net rating by a mile. And it doesn’t help that the Knicks are 0-3 against them this season. But, it’s important to note that all three of those games came under very different circumstances and tonight’s game should be nothing like the previous ones for multiple reasons.

When these two teams last met in February, OG Anunoby, who has clearly been a significant difference-maker on both sides of the ball for the Knicks, was still out recovering from his elbow surgery. And partly because of said injury, that game featured Precious Achiuwa playing 34 minutes as a starter, and Alec Burks playing 19 minutes off the bench. Now, with Anunoby back in the fold, both Achiuwa and Burks have been cut out of the rotation as of late.

But the differences aren’t just on New York’s end. Boston listed Jrue Holiday (patella), Jaylen Brown (hand), Jayson Tatum (knee), Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring), Al Horford (toe), and Xavier Tillman (knee) as questionable yesterday. There’s still a chance that all, or at least some, of them play but given that they clinched the number one seed a while ago, it’s plausible that they all sit out against the Knicks and their physical defense in preparation for what they are determined to make a very deep playoff run.

Prediction

As stated above, it’s pretty safe to assume that the majority of the Celtics’ core rotation will sit this one out. But the Knicks, with the way they have been playing as of late, have the ability to beat the Celtics regardless of who plays and who doesn’t. That doesn’t mean that the Knicks can or will beat the Celtics in a seven-game playoff series, but with the circumstances and impact of the game being what it is for both teams, the Knicks, who have much more to play for should have the upper hand. Knicks win 110-100 with Brunson, who is averaging 34.8PPG and 7.4APG over his last 14 games, continuing his hot streak.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks (47-32) at Boston Celtics (62-17)

When: 7:30 pm EST, Thursday, April 11, 2024

Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Watch: TNT

Follow: @ptknicksblog