Boston Celtics (61-21, second in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (51-31, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT
Knicks -2.5; over/under is 210
EASTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Knicks lead series 3-2
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks look to clinch the Eastern Conference second round over the Boston Celtics in game six. The Celtics defeated the Knicks 127-102 in the last matchup on Wednesday. Derrick White led the Celtics with 34 points, and Josh Hart led the Knicks with 24.
The Knicks are 12-4 against division opponents. New York is 19-23 against opponents over .500.
The Celtics are 14-2 against the rest of their division. Boston has an 8-3 record in one-possession games.
The Knicks make 48.6% of their shots from the field this season, which is 3.6 percentage points higher than the Celtics have allowed to their opponents (45.0%). The Celtics average 17.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 4.7 more made shots on average than the 13.1 per game the Knicks give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists for the Knicks. Jalen Brunson is averaging 28.9 points and 7.8 assists over the last 10 games.
White is scoring 16.4 points per game with 4.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Celtics. Jayson Tatum is averaging 22.5 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 42.3% over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 104.0 points, 42.5 rebounds, 18.9 assists, 7.5 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 43.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.8 points per game.
Celtics: 6-4, averaging 108.2 points, 43.8 rebounds, 20.1 assists, 7.0 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 98.3 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Precious Achiuwa: day to day (ankle).
Celtics: Jayson Tatum: out for season (lower leg).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by and data from .
The Associated Press
