Eastern Conference heavyweights New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics will aim to put their title credentials on display when they face off at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
The Knicks are on a 7-1 run over their last eight matches and will be full of confidence heading into this one, while their visitors will be looking to avoid consecutive defeats for the first time since Christmas, having seen their four-game winning run come to an end last time out.
Match preview
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After recently wrapping up a five-game homestretch with a 124-118 triumph over the Houston Rockets, the New York Knicks visited the Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday to lock horns with the Toronto Raptors, who were fresh off beating the Los Angeles Clippers.
Tom Thibodeau's men were a little slow to hit full speed as they trailed narrowly after the opening 12 minutes before putting on one of the most dominant displays in a quarter this term to go into the interval with a 17-point advantage, which formed the basis for a 121-115 triumph.
All-stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were both on song for the Knicks as the former tallied 28 points and five assists on 10-21 shooting, while the latter posted a monster 27-point, 20-rebound double-double on 10-19 shooting.
Since losing four of their first six games this year, the Knicks have turned on the style with nine wins from their subsequent 12 matches to comfortably sit third in the Eastern Conference standings and within two wins of the Celtics in second.
A win this weekend would move the Knicks as close as they have been to the Celtics since October's opening-day defeat which saw Sunday's hosts beaten for a fifth time in the most recent six editions of this fixture.
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In a rematch of the 2024 NBA finals, the Boston Celtics were on the receiving end of a 127-120 defeat against the Dallas Mavericks as the sides faced off for the second time in the space of just under a fortnight.
Joe Mazzulla's men were uncharacteristically in second gear in front of their fans and had a 21-point deficit to make up for heading into the final 12 minutes, where they mounted a late comeback attempt but eventually fell short by seven points.
Payton Pritchard recorded his highest-scoring game since the turn of the year as he tallied 21 points off the bench, although it was reigning finals MVP Jaylen Brown who led the way in scoring for the Celtics with 25.
The Celtics have seen their pursuit of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the top of the East standings dealt yet another blow, and the reigning champions will most likely have to make do with finishing as runners-up in the conference.
With the trade deadline now elapsed, Sunday's visitors opted against making any significant additions, highlighting how much faith they have in their current roster, the majority of whom played key roles en route to NBA glory last season.
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Team News
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Mitchell Robinson is still out of contention for the New York Knicks due to an ankle problem, but the center has now been cleared to resume contact activities.
Pacome Dadiet is yet to recover from a toe problem and is expected to miss out, but OG Anunoby could return to action having missed the clash against his former employers last time out.
Thirty-four-year-old Jrue Holiday is nursing a shoulder problem and is a huge doubt for this one after sitting out Friday's defeat to the Dallas Mavericks.
Latest addition Torrey Craig is not expected to make his debut for the away side fresh off the back of his move from the Chicago Bulls just before the trade window elapsed.
New York Knicks possible starting five:
Brunson, Hart; Bridges, Towns; Achiuwa
Boston Celtics possible starting five:
White, Brown; Tatum, Horford; Porzingis
We say: Knicks to win by 4+ points
The Celtics were the first team to face the new-look Knicks at the start of the season, and while they ran out comfortable winners on the day, a lot has changed since then, with the Knicks now living up to expectations.
We are backing the home side to emerge triumphant, albeit by only a narrow margin.
Adepoju Marvellous
