The Knicks will have fresher legs, as the matchup is the first in their preseason slate. And while many don’t see New York as a legitimate threat in the NBA, Celtics coach Brad Stevens sees a roster full of seasoned veterans behind star forward Carmelo Anthony.
“I look up and down their roster, and I see why they should have a lot of excitement,” Stevens said via Celtics.com. “They’re deep, they have a legit top-five player in the league and they’re huge on the interior.”
The Celtics are also a bit banged up going into Wednesday’s matchup — which will take place at the XL Center near Hartford, Conn. — with Vitor Faverani (knee), Jeff Green (calf) and rookie James Young (hamstring) all sidelined with injuries in addition to Rajon Rondo. Marcus Thornton will be a gametime decision after undergoing a dental procedure.
Here are your starting lineups:
Boston Celtics
Marcus Smart
Avery Bradley
Evan Turner
Jared Sullinger
Kelly Olynyk
New York Knicks
Jose Calderon
J.R. Smith
Carmelo Anthony
Andrea Bargnani
Samuel Dalembert
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. NESN.com’s Sam Galanis will be live-tweeting the game, so give her a follow, and keep tabs on the action below.
You also can follow Monday’s Celtics-Sixers game right here.
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Photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images