Defense meets offense when the Boston Celtics (45-19, 25-8 Home) play host to the New York Knicks (38-27, 19-12 Away) Sunday. New York squeaked by the Miami Heat 122-120 at FTX Arena on Friday, their eighth win in a row. Julius Randle led the way with 43 points and nine rebounds.
The Knicks are the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston came up short on Friday at TD Garden, falling to the Brooklyn Nets 115-105. Jaylen Brown had 35 points in defeat, carrying the team. The Celtics are 0.5 games back in the Eastern Conference, currently sitting in second.
It’s the last meeting of the season between the teams. Boston will be looking to even the season series after coming out on top in only one of the three earlier meetings. New York won the last showdown 109-94 at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Immanuel Quickley led the Knicks with 23 points.
Malcolm Brogdon had 22 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steals in the losing effort.The Knicks have been led this season by Randle and Jalen Brunson, who are averaging 25.3 and 23.9 points per game, respectively. Randle also has grabbed 10.4 rebounds per game, seventh-most in the league, while Brunson has dished 6.2 assists per game.
Jayson Tatum and Brown have supplied much of the Celts’ offense, averaging 30.2 and 26.5 points per game, respectively. Tatum ranks sixth in the NBA. Tatum also has pulled down 8.8 rebounds per game. Marcus Smart has recorded 6.8 assists per game. The Knicks rank as the NBA’s fourth-best team in offensive efficiency, while the Celtics are fifth in defensive efficiency.
The Celtics have had success in the last 10 games between the teams at TD Garden, winning seven. New York is pursuing a fourth straight road win this season.
In the last 10 games, New York is 9-1 with an average margin of +10.7 (119.8-109.1). Boston has a 7-3 record over the last 10, scoring 117.2 points per game on average while holding opponents to 114.6 (+2.6 margin).
KNICKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Julius Randle: 32.2 | 25.3 | +6.9
Rebounds per game:
Julius Randle: 6.6 | 10.4 | -3.8
CELTICS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Grant Williams: 6.8 | 14.9 | -8.1
Rebounds per game:
Jayson Tatum: 11.2 | 8.8 | +2.4
Assists per game:
Jayson Tatum: 7.0 | 4.8 | +2.3
Marcus Smart: 3.6 | 6.8 | -3.2
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Boston Celtics (-210)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NBA hub page for all your basketball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
