The Boston Celtics will begin their final road trip of the 2024-2025 regular season, making a stop in New York on Tuesday night. The New York Knicks will host their Atlantic Division rivals for the fourth and final matchup between the teams at the Madison Square Garden, with Jalen Brunson and co. aiming to prevent the Celtics from sweeping the season series 4-0.
The 2024-2025 regular season commenced with a Celtics-Knicks matchup on October 22. Karl-Anthony Towns had a lackluster performance in his New York debut, scoring merely 12 points on 5/9 shooting from the field. Neither did Jalen Brunson have a memorable start to the campaign, scoring 22 points and committing four turnovers.
The Celtics’ starting lineup had a strong performance, seemingly motivated by their championship rings received just before tip-off. Jayson Tatum led the charge with 37 points, while Jaylen Brown and Derrick White contributed 57 points, resulting in a 132-109 victory.
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Their second meeting, on February 8, saw a similar result. Joe Mazzulla’s boys clinched a 131-104 blowout win.
The February 22 matchup was the most competitive of all. The Knicks trimmed a 27-point deficit to just 4 points by the final period. But all their efforts went in vain as White’s fourth quarter masterclass led to the Cs winning 118-105.
Results from each of their remaining clashes are inconsequential, considering the Celtics and the Knicks have already clinched the #2 and #3 seed in the East, respectively. However, Tom Thibodeau’s boys have an opportunity to surpass their previous season’s record (50-32) with a win tonight.
Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks Starting Lineups and Depth Charts for Apr. 8
Boston Celtics starting lineup and depth chart
The Boston Celtics are expected to start with JD Davison, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Drew Peterson, and Luke Kornet.
Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks Injury Reports for Apr. 8
Boston Celtics injury report
The Boston Celtics have a lengthy injury report for tonight’s clash, adding every member of their starting lineup to the list. The backcourt pairing of Jrue Holiday (right shoulder) and Derrick White (right toe) are listed as “probable”. Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum (left ankle), Jaylen Brown (right knee), and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) are listed as “questionable”.
Al Horford is the only player to officially be ruled out, as he is recovering from a right knee sprain.
New York Knicks injury report
The New York Knicks are set to miss only one player for the clash. Ariel Hukporti (left knee) is ruled out. On the other hand, Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride are listed as “probable” due to a right ankle sprain and left groin contusion, respectively.
Advait Jajodia is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over four years of experience in the field with The SportsRush.
Advait has a love of basketball that stems from playing the game, and has represented Mumbai North at the Inter-District State Championship and Maharashtra at the ASISC National Games.
His favorite team is the New Orleans Pelicans, although Advait also has an affinity for the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. His favorite player of all time was Kobe Bryant, as the Lakers legend’s undeniable talent and mentality were just unignorable. As for players in the current game, Stephen Curry, Zion Williamson, Victor Wembanyama, and Kyrie Irving are top of Advait’s list.
When not watching or writing about sports, Advait is a fan of true crime shows, board games and console gaming.
