Celtics rule out 2 players for Knicks battle
Yesterday at 06:43 PM
After winning their first game following the All-Star break decisively against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics are expected to have a battle on their hands when they host the third-place New York Knicks Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. However, the Celtics are expected to be somewhat shorthanded because reserve center Neemias Queta and forward Xavier Tillman have been ruled out of the game.
Queta was a key contributor for the Celtics when they defeated the Knicks at Madison Square Garden earlier in February. Queta scored 11 points and had 11 rebounds in Boston’s 131-104 victory. He is out of Sunday’s game due to illness, while Tillman will miss the game due to a knee injury.
The Celtics are the second-ranked team in the Eastern Conference with a 40-16 record. They are 6.0 games behind the first place Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks have played very well this season and are in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 37-19 record.
While the Knicks have shown significant growth and improvement this season, they have not been competitive with the Celtics this season. The two teams also met in the opening game of the season, and the Celtics rolled to a 132-109 triumph in that game.
Celtics appear to be finding their stride
The defending NBA champion Celtics had played some inconsistent basketball during the first half of the season, but head coach Joe Mazzulla’s team appears to be playing far more competitively since late January. The Celtics go into the game against the Knicks having won 4 games in a row and 8 of their last 9.
The challenge from the up and coming Knicks has brought out the best in the Celtics this season, but Mazzulla and star players Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown know that head coach Tom Thibodeau’s team would gain a great deal of confidence and momentum by registering a victory over the Celtics. Even if the Knicks don’t win the game, staying close against the Celtics could lead to growth by New York.
Tatum is leading the Celtics in scoring with an average of 26.8 points per game. He is also contributing 8.7 rebounds per outing. Brown is contributing 22.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Queta is playing an average of 14.0 minutes per game and he is contributing 5.0 points and 3.6 rebounds every night. Tillman is a fairly minor role player for the Celtics, but he has played in 27 games this season and he plays an average of 7.3 minutes per night.
After playing the Knicks, the Celtics have back-to-back road games against the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons before hosting the Cavaliers Friday night.
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