
The New York Knicks have started the 2025-26 season under the new head coach in style. After winning 119-111 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, two of the Eastern Conference heavyweights face off on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks will be hosting their fierce rivals, the Boston Celtics, who will come to the game after their loss against the Philadelphia 76ers. While Boston will be looking to bounce back tonight, do the Cs have enough firepower within their ranks?
The Boston Celtics were on the wrong end of the results as Jaylen Brown and the rest of the team blew off their lead in the final minutes, losing by just a single point. This might have come as a result of the storied franchise missing its superstar forward, Jayson Tatum, who is ruled out for an indefinite period due to the Achilles injury he suffered during his team’s playoff series against the Knicks.
The Cs are massively missing on Tatum’s incredible production. Last season, the 27-year-old was arguably Boston’s best player, averaging 26.8 points along with 8.7 rebounds and 6 assists per game. In fact, this was also quite apparent in their Wednesday night loss against the Sixers. Nonetheless, the six-time All-Star isn’t the only one on the team’s injury report, with Luka Garza joining Jayson Tatum on the sidelines.
The Celtics center has suffered a concussion, due to which he won’t participate in tonight’s massive clash against the Knicks. Well, these two are the only players Boston will be missing tonight.
Although the Knicks did manage to start their campaign with an impressive win, they could be without a few of their stars who contributed big time on the opening night. This includes Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby, both of whom were incredible against the Cavs. While Anunoby led the scoring, finishing the game with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 assists, KAT wasn’t far behind, putting up 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Now, after guiding their team to its first win, both are doubtful for Friday’s matchup. According to ESPN, Towns is questionable for this game due to a quadriceps issue; meanwhile, Anunoby also could miss the action due to an ankle injury. If both stars cannot play tonight, it would be a huge blow for the Knicks. More so, given that New York will already have two other players out for this game, Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson.
The Knicks guard is questionable due to a back problem. The 30-year-old has been an extremely important player for the franchise, and his absence will be huge, especially against a team like the Celtics. At the same time, Robinson’s absence will also be felt, as he has been ruled out for this game after suffering an ankle injury. Now, that’s quite a long injury list and could force Mike Brown to tweak his lineup for tonight’s game. Speaking of which, why don’t we see how both teams line up tonight?
While the Boston Celtics just have a couple of players on their injury list, things are a lot different for the New York Knicks, who could be without several of their starters, so how will both teams’ starting lineups look?
Here’s how the Boston Celtics could start:
| Position | Player |
| PG | Derrick White |
| SG | Payton Pritchard |
| SF | Jaylen Brown |
| PF | Sam Hauser |
| C | Meemias Queta |
Here’s how the New York Knicks could start:
| Position | Player |
| PG | Jalen Brunson |
| SG | Mikal Bridges |
| SF | OG Anunoby (probable) |
| PF | Karl-Anthony Towns (GTD) |
| C | Ariel Hukporti |
So, that’s how the Knicks and the Celtics could start, and you can clearly see that for New York, a lot will depend on Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby’s fitness, as they gear up for an uphill battle tonight. Now, the only question that remains is where you can catch this action live?
Well, the stage is set with two star-studded teams ready to take on each other, but you must be wondering where to watch this game live to witness the action unfold right before your eyes, right? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Date: Friday, October 24th
When: 7:30 p.m. ET/10:30 p.m. PT
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City
TV: Prime Video, NBA TV
That’s everything you need to know about tonight’s massive clash between these two sides. Now, who will emerge victorious? Will it be the Knicks or the Celtics? Our prediction says the Knicks might continue with the momentum if KAT and OG suit up and make it 2-0. But in basketball, never rule out the Celtics, so we all will have to wait and watch as we eagerly await tip-off.
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