NEW YORK - Another sure to be thrilling battle between Boston and New York sports teams takes place Tuesday night as the Celtics and Knicks battle inside Madison Square Garden, where we will have your live courtside coverage.
As is usually the case when these two teams meet, there is a lot riding on Tuesday's game (tip off at 8 p.m. EST on TNT/WEEI). Boston leads New York by 4 1/2 games in the race for the Atlantic Division title with five to play (New York has six games left). A win tonight for Boston, coupled with a 76ers loss, would give it a fifth straight division title.
The Celtics will have the service of the Big Three, two of whom (Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett) did not travel with the team for its back-to-back-to-back finale against the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday and another in Ray Allen who has been sidelined with right ankle swelling. Of course, the team will also have the services of Rajon Rondo, whose streak of games with double-digit assists has swelled to 22. All of those players will obviously be keys to winning for Boston.
New York boasts hot-handed Carmelo Anthony, who is averaging 31.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in the month of April (he has also scored 42 points in a game on two occasions this month), but will be without its second best player, Amar'e Stoudemire, who is eyeing Friday as the return date from his back injury. Jeremy Lin, who rose to fame earlier in the season with the Knicks, is out for the remainder of the regular season with a meniscal tear.
These two teams put on a show in their first meeting of the year at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day, and with the Big Three healthy this time around and a red-hot Melo, we may be able to expect a similar outcome.
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