New York Knicks at Boston Celtics Preview: How, Who to Watch as Thanksgiving Road Trip Begins

The New York Knicks open a five-game road trip on Monday night against the Boston Celtics.

Over the river and through the woods, to Boston, Atlanta, Washington, Charlotte, and Minnesota the New York Knicks go. 

New York will be far from home for the holidays as a five-game road trip, one that begins on Monday night against the Boston Celtics, will take them into Thanksgiving. The Knicks are fresh off sweeping a three-game homestand to create their first winning streak of the 2023-24 season, one that continued on Sunday to the tune of a 129-107 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. RJ Barrett led the way with 24 points while Julius Randle had his most efficient shooting night of the season with 23 on 8-of-16 from the field.

The Knicks will face the Celtics for the second time this season, having previously dropped a narrow 108-104 decision on opening night. Boston is coming off a 117-94 win over Toronto on Saturday night and has won each of its first four home games at TD Garden to open the 2023-24 campaign. 

New York has certainly been busy in the early going: Monday will mark the latter half of what's already the Knicks' third back-to-back this season and another awaits this week when they go from Washington to Charlotte on Friday and Saturday respectively. The Knicks have dropped each of the latter halves thus far, the last being a 95-89 loss to Cleveland on Nov. 1.

What: New York Knicks (5-4) @ Boston Celtics (7-2)

Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA

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

Who's Favored: BOS -9

Quickley (2nd from right) celebrates during his 38-point showcase from last season in Boston / Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Keep An Eye On: Immanuel Quickley

If anything, Quickley could make his case for a long-term deal in New York based on his prior performances against the rival Celtics alone. Quickley has averaged 15.1 points against Boston in 11 prior matchups, his best against any Eastern Conference opponent other than Washington. He had a team-best 24 in the opening loss but Monday will mark a return to the scene of one his finest professional hours to date: thrown into the starting lineup with Jalen Brunson out last March, Quickley put up a 55-minute showcase that earned a then-career-best 38 points in a 131-129 victory in double overtime. 

Celtic to Watch: Kristaps Porzingis

It seems like a cop-out to reference Porzingis and his metropolitan legacy every time the Knicks and Celtics do battle but there's no doubt that Porzingis has something quite interesting brewing in Boston. New York, in fact, was the first victim of green Porzingis, as he put in 30 points in the aforementioned opening night triumph. He has yet to reach such scoring heights again but has maintained consistent box scores, such as a 21-point, seven-rebound effort in the Saturday triumph. Porzingis' ultimate impact may come in New York's Monday statbook: with some assistance from Mitchell Robinson screens, Randle has taken a more disciplined approach to his shooting over this active winning streak. It'll be up to Porzingis to clog the lane and stop this newfound collaboration before it has a chance to heat up on Monday.

They Said It

“We owe them one. But they’re a great team. We’ve got to put our best foot forward, recover (from Sunday), get ready because it’s going to be a battle.”-Julius Randle on facing Boston on short rest (h/t Stefan Bondy, New York Post)

Prediction

This five-game road trip will be a great test of metropolitan mettle. It'll be interesting to see if Barrett can keep up his torrid offensive base and if Randle can maintain the shooting discipline that has afforded him a combined 73 points over the last three games. Asking the Knicks to pull off an upset win on short notice against a powerful Celtics team is a tad too much to ask at this point in time, but there will be plenty of other avenues to start this trip on the right note.

Celtics 117, Knicks 114