New York plays Boston, seeks 6th straight home win

Audio By Carbonatix

Boston Celtics (54-25, second in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (51-28, third in the Eastern Conference)

New York; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: New York hosts Boston aiming to prolong its five-game home winning streak.

The Knicks are 33-16 against Eastern Conference opponents. New York ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference with 15.2 fast break points per game led by Mikal Bridges averaging 3.2.

The Celtics have gone 35-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston has a 5-7 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Knicks' 14.3 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.2 more made shots on average than the 14.1 per game the Celtics allow. The Celtics are shooting 46.7% from the field, 0.8% higher than the 45.9% the Knicks' opponents have shot this season.

The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Knicks won 111-89 in the last meeting on Feb. 8. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points, and Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 18.9 points over the last 10 games.

Brown is averaging 28.8 points, seven rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Celtics. Payton Pritchard is averaging 3.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 7-3, averaging 116.6 points, 44.6 rebounds, 28.3 assists, 8.2 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 50.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.7 points per game.

Celtics: 8-2, averaging 116.1 points, 47.7 rebounds, 24.2 assists, 5.8 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 48.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points.

INJURIES: Knicks: None listed.

Celtics: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.