NEW YORK CITY — The Celtics could be shorthanded when they face the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. Jaylen Brown (left Achilles tendinitis), Sam Hauser (low back spasm), Neemias Queta (right toe sprain), and Derrick White (right knee contusion) are all questionable to play. The Celtics are on the first night of a back-to-back, with a game against the New Orleans Pelicans back at TD Garden on Friday.
Jayson Tatum will lace up at Madison Square Garden for the first time since he ruptured his Achilles
there last May.
“I’m not like, thrilled, to go back and play there,” Tatum said on Tuesday night. “Last time I played there, obviously, it was a traumatic experience for me.”
Still, he opted to play on Thursday in New York to get that first game back out of the way.
“Obviously, I knew at some point I would have to get over that hurdle and play there again. So, it’s going to have to be this Thursday. But it’s not like I’m thrilled about it. But it’s part of it. I decided to come back and play, so I’m not necessarily skipping certain games. I can’t play back-to-backs right now, but I decided to come back and play, so it’s just another game on the schedule.”
If the Celtics actually end up sitting four starters, it’s likely that players like Nikola Vucevic, Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, and Ron Harper Jr will all see increased opportunities.
How the Celtics, Knicks stack up
The Celtics are 1-2 against the Knicks this season, but have the upper hand in the conference standings. The Celtics (54-25) have a three-game lead over the Knicks (51-28) for the No. 2 seed.
The Knicks won by double-digits in New York and February, while the Celtics pulled away with a 6-point win in December. But all of those games were played without Tatum, who returned last month from a 10-month-long absence.
The Celtics and the Knicks have had two of the league’s best offenses this season — the Celtics have the NBA’s second-best offensive rating (119.9) and the Knicks have the league’s third-best offense (118.8).
Both have also been top ten defenses; the Celtics have the NBA’s fourth-best defense (111.7 rating), and the Knicks have the NBA’s 8th-best defense (112.3).
Celtics-Knicks tips off at 7:30pm ET.
