New York Knicks at Boston Celtics Preseason: Preview, How, Who to Watch

The New York Knicks will play their only road preseason game on Tuesday night against the rival Boston Celtics.

With each side boasting their finest rosters in quite some time, the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics are getting to know each other a little better.

New York and Boston will do early fall battle for the second time this preseason on Tuesday night at TD Garden, eight days before they open their respective regular season slates in Manhattan. Tuesday will serve as the Knicks' only preseason game on the road, as they'll return home for their final game against Washington on Wednesday.

Boston rested most of its premier talent in the first go-around on Oct. 9 and the Knicks took advantage to the tune of a 114-107 victory. Knicks starters played sparingly but Jalen Brunson scored 10 points in just six minutes. Immanuel Quickley led the way with 21 tallies on an 8-of-14 shooting night off the bench. 

With Jeff Van Gundy now in tow as a coaching consultant, the Celtics enter with a 2-1 preseason mark. Both of their wins have come against the Philadelphia 76ers, including a 112-101 victory at Wells Fargo Center last Wednesday night.

What: New York Knicks (1-1) @ Boston Celtics (2-1) (Preseason)

Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA

When/Watch: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m ET, MSG/NBA TV

Who's Favored: BOS -6.5

McBride (2) has a potential golden opportunity on Tuesday in Boston / Vincent Carchietta, USA TODAY SPORTS

Keep An Eye On: Miles McBride

The Knicks face an unusual situation where they'll cap their preseason off with a back-to-back. Time will tell how they handle it, but it stands to reason that they'll let the starters get some more playing time at home and try to solve some of the fringe roster battles in Boston on Tuesday.

McBride is in a curious spot where everyone assumes he'll be on the Knicks' bench this season but it's still very hard for him to crack the team's primary rotation barring injury. Once Josh Hart came over from Portland, McBride was often either a garbage time or medical fill-in, averaging less than 11 minutes a game after February. His situation becomes even more desperate with Donte DiVincenzo's arrival.

McBride, set to enter his third season as a 2021 second-round pick out of West Virginia, has proven his worth as an NBA depth star through strong defensive abilities. In the Knicks' most recent preseason affair, he offered a hint of his offensive contributions with a brilliant final frame against Minnesota, one that saw him shoot a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range. With the Knicks' outside issues well-documented, outside shooting could be McBride's difference between trade bait and metropolitan contributor.

Celtic to Watch: Kristaps Porzingis

Though he sat out of the Madison Square Garden exhibition, the latest chapter of the Porzingis rollercoaster has begun. To date, Porzingis' career has been defined as being a diamond in dreary situations (i.e. New York, Washington). 

But it's clear that the Celtics, frequent Eastern Conference Final bridesmaids throughout the new century, see him as the missing piece for something greater. Porzingis is perfectly fine if his sterling stats take a dive if it means guiding Boston to an elusive 18th championship. 

"You can see with this group. Everybody is willing to sacrifice for a bigger goal," Porzingis said, per Colin McCarthy of Boston.com. "It’s not that much of a sacrifice, at the end if you’re winning, what are you sacrificing? Your own stats for winning? That makes sense, I’ll do that trade every day."

"If all of our stats dip a little bit, or some stats dip a little bit, who cares? We’re here to win.”

Through two games, Porzingis has tallied 28 points and 10 rebounds in just over 40 minutes. Boston management might be wary about his ball control (six turnovers in the past two) but that could lead to some extended opportunities during his original NBA employers' visit.