How we see it goin' down: Celtics vs Knicks

Tip: 7:30PM Court: MSG Watch it: TNT Hear it: WEEI

Referees: Tom Washington, Mark Ayotte and John Goble

Spread: NYY -7.0

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The Matchup


Record: 38-34	Record: 45-26
On road: 13-23	At home: 26-10
Streak: Won 2	Streak: Won 7

Leaders	Leaders
Buckets: Pierce (18.7 ppg)	Buckets: Carmelo Anthony (27.6 ppg)
Boards: Pierce (6.3 rpg)	Boards: Tyson Chandler (11.0 rpg)
Dimes: Pierce (4.7 apg)	Dimes: Raymond Felton (5.5 apg)

For the Stat Geeks:	For the Stat Geeks:
Offensive Rating: 102.7 (24th NBA)	Offensive Rating: 110.2 (3rd NBA)
Defensive Rating: 102.6 (4th NBA)	Defensive Rating: 106.2 (17th NBA)
Pace: 91.6 (16th NBA)	Pace: 90.0 (26th NBA)

Last time

The Knicks lead the season series 2-1. JR Smith and Carmelo Anthony buried the Celtics, 100-85, last week. Paul Pierce netted 23 points and dished out 6 assists in the “Honey Nut Cheerios” game 102-96 on Jan. 7. Melo burned Boston for 28 points and 7 rebounds in an 89-86 Knicks victory on Jan. 24.

This time

Get it to: Paul Pierce

The Stabilizer is coming off a 20 point, 10 rebound, 10 assist performance vs Atlanta and a 19 point, 10 rebound, 8 assist peformance vs Cleveland. Rinse and repeat.

Gotta stop: JR Smith

How hot is JR Smith? 28.6 ppg on 57% shooting in his last 5 games. He torched Avery Bradley for 32 points in the last game vs Boston. Doc Rivers must find a way to contain the Knicks super 6th man.

The Wild Card: The Shavalanche

The Knicks dropped 50 points in the paint and collected 15 offensive rebounds the last time these teams met. The Celtics need a presence in the paint. Can Shavlik Randolph (9 points, 13 rebounds) continue his impressive play? We better hope so. It’s possible Tyson Chandler could miss his 10th straight game with a neck injury.