Preview: Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks – Projected Lineup and Injury Updates TD Garden will be the venue for the upcoming face-off between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, scheduled for 7:30 pm (ET).
In this preseason, the Boston Celtics have shown promise with a 2-1 record, securing two victories against the Philadelphia 76ers. Their lone defeat came at the hands of the New York Knicks, the team they are set to face on Tuesday night. The question arises: can the Celtics improve to 3-1 by outperforming the Knicks, or will the Knicks claim their second preseason win against Boston? Dive into our lineup forecasts, injury report, and more.
Will the Boston Celtics opt for significant changes in their starting lineup, akin to their strategy in the sole preseason loss to the Knicks?
While the Celtics exhibited strength in their two wins against the Sixers, the starting lineup that faced the Knicks during their loss saw several regular starters rested. Many had anticipated a more formidable lineup for that game, but Payton Pritchard, Dalano Banton, Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, and Luke Kornet made up the starting five.
The game concluded with a score of Celtics 107, Knicks 114. Despite the loss, the Celtics found several positives, especially considering the Knicks played with their full-strength starting five. Will the Celtics continue to shuffle their starting lineup, or can we anticipate the return of key players? Will the Knicks maintain their full-strength starting five for a third consecutive preseason match?
Expectations are high for some of the marquee players to return to the lineup, but one under-the-radar standout who could earn a starting role is Pritchard. His outstanding preseason performance has exceeded expectations and silenced critics who doubted his abilities after his contract extension. While Jrue Holiday is undoubtedly deserving of a starting spot on Tuesday, the competition between him and Pritchard is not set in stone. It remains a challenging decision for coach Joe Mazzulla, but for this occasion, it is likely that Holiday will be the starting choice due to the need for chemistry building within the team. Pritchard will still be expected to make a significant impact off the bench.
“I cleared my mind this summer, I love this organization and I love the city of Boston. This is my home.”
Banton had a chance to start at shooting guard in the first preseason matchup against the Knicks, and his 20-point performance on 8-19 shooting from the field demonstrated his potential. Will Mazzulla grant him another starting opportunity, or will Banton continue to make his impact coming off the bench? It seems more likely to be the latter. Derrick White’s impressive display against the 76ers, both defensively and offensively, suggests that he will likely start ahead of Banton in the game against the Knicks.
In my opinion, White should be a regular starter once the regular season commences, and these preseason games serve as his platform to prove his case for that role.
Speaking of scoring, Svi Mykhailiuk has been incredibly consistent when shooting the ball during his two preseason appearances.
Svi vs. Knicks: 15 points, 5-9 from the field (55.6%), and 3-7 from beyond the arc (42.9%)
Svi vs. 76ers: 15 points, 5-6 from the field (83.3%), and 3-4 from beyond the arc (75.0%)
With his shooting being at an elite level through the last two preseason games, does Mykhailiuk deserve a start against the Knicks? I think so. Will Mazzulla give him a starting role? Again, I don’t think so. If Jaylen Brown is available, then his name will be one of the first added to the lineup, but I expect Hauser to make a return to the lineup to build some momentum and form for the opening day tipoff.
In the Celtics’ most recent win against the 76ers, Hauser was one of our best performers as he put up 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block, and shot 4-9 from beyond the arc (44.4%). Although Hauser had a shakey start to his preseason outings, his confidence will be high after his performance on Wednesday night. Does it warrant a start against the Knicks? I think so.
Even though I’m predicting Hauser to start, I think Mykhailiuk will get good minutes off the bench, and like a lot of people, I’ve bought my ticket to the Svi hype train and cannot wait to see what more the sharpshooter has in his locker.
With Jayson Tatums’ chances of starting against the Knicks being questionable, and Luke Kornet so far has not been the dominant paint force that we have been needing, the four and five spots are still up for grabs. With Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis playing well so far this preseason, I think Kornet may only be given a bench role for this upcoming clash with the Knicks. Because the two big men are both viable options for the Knicks game, it’s hard to predict who might get the start. Could it even be both?
A double-big lineup, when facing Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, might be necessary to have a successful night in the paint. So, does Mazzulla go with the new man? Or go with the reliable veteran option? Or both? I think on this occasion, he will have to go with both – Horford at the four and Porzingis at the five. I do still expect Kornet to get decent minutes coming off the bench and, hopefully, his form will improve ahead of the regular season.
Boston Celtics Predicted Starting Lineup:
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Sam Hauser
PF: Al Horford
C: Kristaps Porzingis
There is always the chance of the Boston Celtics playing a more rotated starting five against the Knicks just like they did in their first preseason encounter, but with only two preseason games remaining, I think it is time to start playing some of the usual suspects to build momentum ahead of the opening day tipoff.
Even though I’m predicting a stronger starting lineup, the rotational players have certainly proved their worth and I expect them to receive extended minutes off the bench to allow them to keep cooking.
The Knicks have played a full-strength starting five for both preseason games, do they rotate their lineup against the Boston Celtics?
So far this preseason the Knicks have played their full-strength starting five in both games, consisting of Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Randle, and Robinson, resulting in one win, and one loss.
Can we expect them to give their role players a chance by starting them, allowing them to prove their worth and fight for more minutes for the upcoming regular season? Or will we see a similar-looking Knicks side?
In their first meeting with the Celtics, Immanuel Quickley put on an incredible offensive performance with 21 points, three assists, three steals, and shot 8-14 from the field (57.1%). His offensive output took a dip during their second preseason game as they faced the Minnesota Timberwolves as he shot only 22.2% from the field and scored nine points, losing the game 121-112.
If the Knicks do decide on resting their star players, or at least giving them a bench role, then Quickley has the be the first name added to their starting lineup, allowing him to build consistent form going into the regular season. Although, I’m not sure the Knicks are going to rotate their lineup too much. I still expect Tom Thibodeau to start Jalen Brunson ahead of Quickley on this occasion. Bruson will be one of the key pieces to any potential Knicks’ success this season and allowing him to continue building his form might be Thibodeau’s plan.
During the Knicks’ first two preseason games, Grimes hasn’t played anywhere close to what we know he is capable of and, because of this, I think he might be given more of an impact role against the Celtics. Moreover, due to his solid performances during both games so far, it would be fair for Evan Fournier to be given his chance to fight for a bigger role this season. There is also a chance that Thibodeau goes with Donte DiVincenzo ahead of Fournier, but I think the latter is the name we will see on the starting lineup on Tuesday night.
With Barrett’s starting place being questioned this offseason, this preseason run has been the perfect chance for him to prove that he should be a starter next season – and prove it, he has. Much like Quickley, his form hasn’t been consistent through these two games, but his showing against the Timberwolves was exceptional from Barrett.
Barrett vs. Celtics: 12 points, two rebounds, two assists, 9-9 made free throws, 1-6 from the field (16.7%), and 1-5 from beyond the arc (20.0%)
Barrett vs. Timberwolves: 23 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals, 9-12 made free throws, 6-15 from the field (40.0%), and 2-8 from beyond the arc (25.0%)
Although Josh Hart deserves a chance to fight for his place in the starting lineup, it’ll be hard for Thibodeau to bench Barrett right now, potentially halting his momentum from the Minnesota game. Based on that, I think Barrett will be given the chance to build on his form and might end up keeping his starting spot for this season.
Due to a lack of depth at the power forward spot, I think Randle will, yet again, get the start against the Celtics on Tuesday night. The competition at the four isn’t as strong for the Knicks when compared to the other positions since losing Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers for two second-round picks. There is a shout for the 24-year-old Jericho Sims to be given a chance to start, but because of his poor form over the last two games, I think his role will resume being an impact option off the bench.
Hartenstein has been consistent when scoring the ball, scoring at 60% from the field against both the Celtics and the Timberwolves, but I don’t expect him to get a starting spot ahead of Robinson for this matchup. I do anticipate Hartenstein getting decent minutes off the bench because building on his momentum is crucial for Thibodeau and the Knicks for their rotational big – but I don’t expect a starting role to be on the cards.
Even though Robinson has only scored 10 and 8 against the Celtics and the Timberwolves respectively, his work on the defensive end of the court has been crucial to Knicks winning their opening preseason game. During that game against the Boston Celtics, Robinson managed three important blocks and two steals, which was pivotal to their victory on that night. I’d be much happier without Robinson on the court, but I think he makes the starting five on this occasion.
New York Knicks Predicted Starting Lineup:
PG: Jalen Brunson
SG: Evan Fournier
SF: RJ Barrett
PF: Julius Randle
C: Mitchell Robinson
Much like the Boston Celtics, there is always the chance that the Knicks will go with a more rotated starting five, but I’m expecting something close to a full-strength lineup for their third preseason game.
Due to it being a preseason game, I do expect some slight changes to be made to the lineup – in the form of Fournier – as well as role players’ minutes being extended, to give them a chance to prove their worth and to fight for extended minutes during the regular season.
Injury report for October 17 Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks preseason game
Boston Celtics: Jay Scrubb – OUT (Torn ACL)
Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown – Questionable (Rest)
Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum – Questionable (Rest)
New York Knicks: Ryan Arcidiacono – Questionable (Rest)
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