2 min read • January 06, 2022
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When the Knicks and Celtics battle in Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, which unit will be healthier?
Advantage: Celtics
In the aftermath of injuries to Derrick Rose and Kemba Walker, the Knicks will be light in the backcourt.
While Rose is out for an extended period of time after undergoing ankle surgery, Walker will miss his 4th-straight game with left knee soreness, leaving Alec Burks, Evan Fournier, and Immanuel Quickley to man the ball-handling responsibilities.
The Knicks are 14-10 this season when Walker starts, and 4-10 when he is out. He is day-to-day, and recent tests showed no structural damage to his left knee.
The Celtics are nearly whole again, powered by the returns of Jayson Tatum and Robert Williams III. Jaylen Brown and Dennis Schroder should have a field day against the thing NY guard unit, while Tatum, R.J. Barrett, and Julius Randle will certainly have spurts of one-upmanship.
One aspect that is in the Knicks' favor: the Celtics will be on the latter end of a back-to-back and coming off of a tough 2-point loss to the Spurs on Wednesday. Several players – including Tatum, Schroder, and Enes Freedom – are still re-acclimating after COVID-19 absences, and will have to recover quickly for the Atlantic Division matchup.
Boston, 18-20, is favored by 1 point over 18-20 New York, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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