The New York Knicks (23-28) look to win their third straight game when they head to the TD Garden for a Wednesday night matchup against the Boston Celtics (36-15).
The Knicks completed the four-game season sweep over the Brooklyn Nets with a decisive 111-95 win on Tuesday. New York jumped out to a 61-41 halftime lead and never looked back. Kristaps Porzingis set a new career-high with six three-pointers and finished with 28 points. Enes Kanter also made his mark in a big way as he totaled 20 points, 20 rebounds, and five assists.
The Celtics had lost five of their last six games prior to Monday’s 111-110 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Boston blew a 20-point lead and needed a go-ahead three-pointer by Jaylen Brown with 34 seconds left to barely squeak by with the win. Kyrie Irving led the way with 27 points while Jayson Tatum added 20.
Projected lineups
New York: PG - Jarrett Jack, SG - Tim Hardaway Jr., SF - Courtney Lee, PF - Kristaps Porzingis, C - Enes Kanter
Boston: PG - Kyrie Irving, SG - Jaylen Brown, SF - Jayson Tatum, PF - Al Horford, C - Aron Baynes
Team leaders
New York: Points - Kristaps Porzingis 23.3, Rebounds - Enes Kanter 10.1, Assists - Jarrett Jack 6.2
Boston: Points - Kyrie Irving 24.9, Rebounds - Al Horford 7.8, Assists - Al Horford 5.3
Known injuries
New York: Out - Ron Baker (shoulder), Joakim Noah (personal)
Boston: Out - Gordon Hayward (ankle), Marcus Smart (hand), Questionable - Guerschon Yabusele (ankle)
Tidbits to know
It has been a nightmare for Kristaps Porzingis in his two games aginst the Celtics this season.
He has shot just 3-25 from the field which includes an ugly 0-11 effort on December 21.
New York has scored at least 107 points in six straight games and 10 of their last 11 outings. While Boston ranks second allowing just 98.8 points per game, they have given up at least 102 in five straight.
The Celtics allow the second-least threes per game (8.8) and force their opposition into the lowest accuracy from downtown (33.3 percent).
While the Knicks rank dead last in three-point makes per game (8.1) and attempts per game (21.8), they have upped it to 10.3 makes on average in their last six games.
Knicks/Celtics history
The Knicks and Celtics’ long history has seen them meet 469 times in the regular season with Boston holding a 288-181 advantage in the win column.
Boston has won 10 of the last 13 head-to-head matchups, and the two teams have split their two meetings this season. Most recently, the Knicks defeated the Celtics 102-93 in New York on December 21. The Celtics easily disposed of the Knicks in Boston with a 110-89 win on October 24.
