Preview: New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics: Player props, injury report and prediction | NBA

The reigning NBA champions New York Knicks travel to TD Garden to face the Boston Celtics early on Saturday morning, with both teams chasing a first win of 2026-27 after losing on opening night.

Boston have rebuilt around Jayson Tatum and Paul George since Jaylen Brown left for Philadelphia, while the Knicks won three of the four meetings between these sides last season.

New York Knicks and Boston Celtics form after opening-night defeats

Form Guide

New York Knicks

0-1 · reigning NBA champions

Last 5 (2026 Finals and opening night)

W L W W L

100.0PPG

106.0Opp PPG

98.0Off. rating

103.9Def. rating

Boston Celtics

0-1

Last 5 (2026 play-offs and opening night)

W L L L L

113.0PPG

121.0Opp PPG

113.0Off. rating

119.8Def. rating

New York's title run ended with a 4-1 Finals win over the San Antonio Spurs in June, but ring night went wrong when Philadelphia won 106-100 at Madison Square Garden.

Jalen Brunson scored 21 points on 6-for-19 shooting, and the Knicks as a team shot 37.2% from the floor.

That left them scoring less than a point per possession, a clear drop on last season's scoring rate.

They still collected 53 rebounds, so the night was lost to 15 turnovers and cold shooting rather than a lack of effort on the glass.

Boston's opener was a collapse rather than a bad night, since they led Detroit by 22 points and were still 99-89 ahead with just over eight minutes left.

The Pistons then went on a 23-0 run en route to winning 121-113, a result that undid a debut from George that broke the Celtics' debut record with 38 points and seven made threes.

The opening-night numbers split the two sides, with Boston more efficient and ahead on assists and threes while New York controlled the glass.

Tatum is the swing figure for the Celtics after going 6-for-23 against Detroit, including 0-for-7 from three.

He still handed out 11 assists, and he averaged 21.0 points across two pre-season games, so the scoring volume is clearly there.

Knicks vs. Celtics team news and projected rotations

Boston's only listed absentee is guard Devin Carter, who is out with mononucleosis and has no return date.

No Knicks player carries a designation, so Mike Brown's projected starters are Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Joe Mazzulla's projected five is Derrick White, George, Tatum, Jordan Walsh and Mitchell Robinson, who played for New York last season before joining Boston.

Boston's bench has scored in the pre-season, with center Luka Garza averaging 14.3 points and guard Hugo Gonzalez 14.5 across four games each.

New York's second unit is led by guard Landry Shamet, who averaged 9.5 points in the pre-season, with Andre Drummond and James Wiseman sharing minutes behind Towns at center.

Both teams have had two days' rest since Tuesday's openers, so neither faces a back-to-back, and the full list of fixtures and tip-off times sits in our NBA schedule guide.

Knicks vs. Celtics and the matchups that could decide it

Key Matchups

Two stars looking for their shot

Jalen Brunson

NYK

VS

Jayson Tatum

BOS

21Brunson pts

6-19Brunson FG

13Tatum pts

6-23Tatum FG

Both stars shot below their level on opening night, and whichever finds rhythm first shapes the second quarter.

Boston's debut scorer against New York's wings

Mikal Bridges

NYK

VS

Paul George

BOS

21.6Bridges pre-season MPG

7.0Bridges pre-season PPG

38George pts

7-12George 3P

George made 12 of 21 shots against Detroit, and New York need Bridges and OG Anunoby to hold him well below that level.

Brunson has the better recent record in this building, having scored 31 points at TD Garden in February with 15 of them in the first quarter.

Boston's variance from deep matters too, since the Celtics made 17 threes on opening night but only seven of 41 in that same February loss to New York.

Best Knicks vs. Celtics player props

These angles lean on opening-night shot volume and pre-season minutes, since neither team has a longer regular-season sample to draw on.

Player Props to Watch

Jalen BrunsonNYK

PointsOver 20.5

16.3Pre-season PPG (4 GP)

Brunson scored 31 at TD Garden in February and remains the first option in every New York possession.

Karl-Anthony TownsNYK

ReboundsOver 10.5

7.3Pre-season RPG (4 GP)

12Opening night

Towns pulled down 12 rebounds against Philadelphia as New York collected 53 as a team.

Jayson TatumBOS

PointsOver 20.5

21.0Pre-season PPG (2 GP)

13Opening night

Tatum averaged 21.0 points in the pre-season and attempted a heavy share of Boston's shots against Detroit, so a modest improvement in accuracy gets him past 20.5.

What does the head-to-head say about Knicks vs. Celtics?

The Knicks won the last two meetings, including 111-89 at TD Garden in February, a result that ended a five-game Boston winning run.

Boston's only success came in December, when they won 123-117 at home in the highest-scoring of the four meetings, and they scored more than 100 points in just two of those four games.

Both rosters have changed since, with Jaylen Brown and George swapping teams, so last season's results say more about each side's style than about its personnel.

Knicks vs. Celtics prediction and betting tips

New York are the pick on the spread because they won the last two meetings and Boston gave up a 22-point lead in their only game with the rebuilt rotation, so the Celtics have yet to show they can close.

The total points to a tight game, since the Knicks' own opener produced 206 combined points and their latest two meetings with Boston produced 200 and 218.

Brunson and Towns are the two prop picks because both carry clear volume, with Brunson creating the shots and Towns collecting the rebounds in a game New York otherwise lost.

The evidence points to a narrow New York win as both teams look to bounce back from disappointing opening defeats.

Anyone new to the league can find out how the standings and season structure work in our NBA format explained guide.