New York could be missing a lot of guys when they host Boston on Sunday afternoon. Lance Thomas, Derrick Rose, and Carmelo Anthony are all listed as questionable. The Knicks have lost six of their last eight games. The Celtics are hoping to extend their winning ways after nearly escaping Orlando on Friday night. Boston won four consecutive meetings until New York ended the streak with a 117-106 win on January 18th. Tipoff time is set for 1:00 PM Eastern time and it will be the first of a doubleheader on local ABC stations, ESPN3, WatchESPN, and the ESPN app.
Celtics (49-27, 1st Atlantic)
Boston has only lost two of their last 10 games, and they were able to rebound on Friday night by taking down a lowly Magic squad 117-116. They were able to convert 12-of-33 from 3-point range and hit 29-of-34 free throw attempts. Point guard Isaiah Thomas (29.2 ppg, 5.9 apg) threw down 35 points and recorded seven assists compared to just three turnovers.
Shooting guard Avery Bradley (16.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg) will be out for the game with an illness. He missed the previous game against the Magic and also missed a game against Phoenix a week ago with the same descriptor. Who else but Thomas led the team with 39 points in their recent matchup with the Knicks.
Knicks (29-47, 3rd Atlantic)
Anthony (22.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and Rose (18 ppg, 4.4 apg) could potentially be out of the game, and it might be more for extra precautionary reasons as New York is out of playoff contention. Rose is dealing with knee soreness and has missed the last two games. Anthony has been having back issues and sat out just last game.
Both of them are currently listed as questionable for the contest.
Despite having key players out, the Knicks were able to take down Miami last time out, 98-94. Power forward Kristaps Porzingis (18.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg) led the squad with 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting and 7 boards. The team was able to hit 16-of-17 free throws and their defense kept the Heat down with a chilly 8-of-33 hitting from 3-point range.
No betting lines are available for this contest with the ongoing questionable injuries with key players. The Celtics are 0-5 against the spread in their last 5 games against teams with a losing record.
