at 
New York Knicks (14-17) at Boston Celtics (17-13)
Sunday, December 27, 2015
7:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #31, Home Game #16
TV:  NBA-TV, CSN-NE, MSG
Radio:  98.5 Sports Hub, ESPN NY 98.7
TD Garden



Probable Starters

PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Jae Crowder
PF: Amir Johnson
C: Jared Sullinger

Celtics Reserves
Evan Turner
Jonas Jerebko
Terry Rozier
James Young
Jordan Mickey
Tyler Zeller
David Lee
RJ Hunter
Kelly Olynyk

Injuries
Marcus Smart (leg) possible

Head Coach
Brad Stevens




Probable Starters

PG: Jose Calderon
SG: Arron Afflalo
SF: Carmelo Anthony
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
C: Robin Lopez

Knicks Reserves
Kevin Seraphin
Langston Galloway
Cleanthony Early
Jerian Grant
Lou Amundson
Sasha Vujacic
Derrick Williams
Lance Thomas

Injuries
None

Head Coach
Derek Fisher

Game Notes
After two games on the road, the Celtics return home to take on the division rival New York Knicks.  This is the first of 4 games between these two teams.  They will play again in a couple of weeks on January 12th at Madison Square Garden and again on February 2.  They will play the final game in Boston on March 4.

The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games while the Knicks are 4-6 in their last 10.  The Celtics are 8-7 at home and the Knicks are 7-9 on the road.  Both teams are playing in back to back games with the Celtics playing the Pistons on the road and the Knicks playing in Atlanta on Saturday night. 

The Celtics may be approaching a full team for the first time in 5 weeks with Marcus Smart being cleared to return and possibly making his return in this game.  Amir Johnson returned to the starting lineup against the Pistons on Saturday.   The Knicks also are healthy with Carmelo returning to the lineup on Saturday vs the Hawks with 18 points and 12 rebounds. 

Key Matchups
  vs 
Jae Crowder vs Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony returned from an ankle injury just in time to take on the Celtics.  Jae Crowder is getting a reputation as one of the top wing defenders in the league and he will need to put that to the test to guard Melo, who is averaging 21.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists. 

  vs 
Amir Johnson vs Kristaps Porzingis
The Knicks 7'3" rookie is averaging 13.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game and he has long since changed the boos he heard on draft night into cheers.  His length makes him tough to handle and the Celtics will have their hands full, especially keeping him off the boards. 

Honorable Mention
Avery Bradley vs Arron Afflalo
Afflalo is averaging 13.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists and is capable of putting up big numbers if not guarded closely. 

Keys to the Game
Defense - Playing tough team defense is the key to winning every game. The Celtics need to concentrate on getting stops and keeping the Knicks' offense off balance. The Knicks average just 97.9 points per game but they allow just 99 points per game.   The Celtics need to play tough defense to limit the Knicks scoring. 

Set the Pace - The Celtics need to run on every possession from start to finish. It seems that when they run they build leads and outplay the other team. When they slow it down, they fall behind and lose leads. They have to run and keep up the pace for the whole game.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team. They have to be more aggressive in going after loose balls, in grabbing rebounds, in defending, and in going to the basket.  They have to be the team that wants it more. 

Rebound - Much of rebounding is effort and desire and when the Celtics put out the extra effort to win the battle of the boards, they seem to play better overall. They have to grab rebounds to keep the Knicks from getting out on the break and to keep them from getting second chance points. 

Move the Ball - When the Celtics move the ball and find the open man,  they play very well.  When they have a lot of assists,  they are tough to beat.  They need to play as a team with no hero ball. 

Limit Turnovers - Sometimes ball movement results in too many turnovers.  The Celtics have to be careful not to make careless and bad passes.  They also need to keep their focus and not allow the Knicks to get steals that would lead to easy baskets. 

X-Factors
Back to Back - Both teams are playing back to back games.  The Celtics' depth could make a difference here and allow them to be fresher at the end of the game. 

Home Game - While both teams are playing back to back and both teams had to travel after their game,  the Celtics have the advantage of playing at home and hopefully will get a boost from the home crowd. 

Officiating -
The officiating is always an X-Factor.   You never know if a crew will call the game tight or let them play and the team has to be able to adjust to any officiating style.  And you never know when a ref will have an agenda and call it one sided for one of the teams.  We can only hope for an evenly called game where they let them play.