The New York Knicks pay a visit to the TD Garden to battle the Boston Celtics on Monday night.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks have been on a nice run as they are now gunning for a fourth straight victory after blowing past the Hornets in a 129-107 home win last night. RJ Barrett led the team with 24 points on nine of 16 shooting, Julius Randle added 23 points with five rebounds and five assists while Jalen Brunson chipped in with 20 points on seven of 12 shooting. As a team, the Knicks shot 54 percent from the field and 15 of 36 from the 3-point line as they jumped all over the Hornets from the start, jumping out to an early lead which only grew as the game went on. The Knicks had the game wrapped up by the third quarter, so they were able to rest all of their starters early.
New York Knicks Player Facts
- Mitchell Robinson ranks 1st in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for rebounds per game (12.0) this season.
- RJ Barrett ranks T6th amongst qualified players for 3P% (50.0%) this season.
Boston Celtics
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics have been in great form with seven wins in their first nine games overall and they will be aiming for a third straight victory after routing the Raptors in a 117-94 win on Saturday. Jaylen Brown led the team with 29 points on 12 of 20 shooting, Jayson Tatum added 27 points with five rebounds and four assists while Kristaps Porzingis chipped in with 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists. As a team, the Celtics shot 54 percent from the field and 15 of 44 from the 3-point line, but this win was more about their defense as they were just never threatened after keeping the Raptors to just 20 points in the second quarter. Jrue Holiday had a quiet game of just eight points with four turnovers, but he was hardly needed with the rest of the team playing well.
Boston Celtics Player Facts
- Derrick White is one of only seven qualified players in the league averaging at least 1.0 threes, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks this season.
- Jayson Tatum ranks 7th amongst qualified players for three-pointers made Per Game (3.3) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Celtics rank 1st in the league for point differential per game this season (+13.4).
- The Celtics rank 1st in the league for rebounds per game this season (49.4).
- The Knicks rank 30th in the league for blocks per game this season (2.1).
- The Knicks rank 30th in the league for field goal percentage this season (42.9%).
Peter's Pick
The Celtics have been one of the hottest teams in the league, they've won all four of their home games so far and are deserved favorites here. The Knicks are at a bit of a disadvantage given that they are playing their second game of a back to back set, but they're in great form and I think they can cause some trouble here. It's hard to go past the Celtics to get the win, but I think the Knicks hang around and get the cover here.