Tuesday NBA: Celtics’ Garnett out vs. Knicks
Big break for the New York Knicks as they visit the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night and won’t have to deal with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett.
That’s because Garnett smacked Bucks center Andrew Bogut in the face with 3:58 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ 102-97 win Saturday.
“I don’t agree with the ruling. We don’t even have the opportunity to fight it. There’s nothing we can do,” Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said.
Still, Boston has won six in a row over New York, including four in as many tries last season and opened as an 11-point favorite on WagerWeb.com. The average Boston margin of victory was 18.8 last year. But this is a different Knick team under Mike D’Antoni, one that is scoring nearly nine more points a game than last season and averaging five more made 3-pointers per game.
The Knicks have averaged 120.7 points in their last three games, while Boston has been able to control the tempo in most games, surrendering more than 100 points only once.
“They seem to be a lot more disciplined,” Garnett said. “They’re playing together. You definitely see that. It looks like they’re actually trying to play some defense, but for the most part they get up and down. They can shoot the ball. They spread you out. They’re very much improved.”
And the Celtics just played eight games in 12 days, so they are no doubt weary.
“It was a brutal stretch. In 24 years I’ve been in the game, I don’t think I’ve ever seen eight games in that little time, that early in the season,” coach Doc Rivers said.
Tuesday will be the fourth time in 11 games this season that the Knicks (6-4) will face an opponent who is without a star player. The Knicks beat the Wizards, who were without Gilbert Arenas, on Nov. 7, the Utah Jazz, without Deron Williams, on Nov. 9 and lost to the San Antonio Spurs, without Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, on Nov. 11.
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