NBA Matchups: November 13

New York Knicks (back end) at Boston Celtics

Team Totals: Knicks 106.8, Celtics 115.8

Injury Report: Knicks on a B2B

Knicks projected starters: Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, R.J. Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson

Celtics projected starters: Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis

Thibodeau quotes: Said their bench was “terrific” against the Hornets, said that he likes a tough schedule to start the year (Boston B2B), said Barrett is being more consistent and he’s having a great start to his season, said Barrett has a better feel for the coverages against him.

Mazzulla quotes: Said Porzingis has been able to make his teammates better, said KP’s shooting makes them dangerous on offense because it brings the rim protection away from the basket.

Stats and Notes: 

*These teams face off for the second time this season after the Celtics squeaked out a 108-104 win on Opening Night. Boston’s defense has been elite all season with their second-ranked 103.6 D rating, including an 89.3 halfcourt D rating. They’ve been great at limiting teams on the offensive glass, and they’ve been a really strong rim D all year. Boston is giving up a ton of 3-pointers with the third-highest 3-point frequency allowed. A lot of the 3-point attempts they’re giving up are on the ball. The Knicks are having their usual halfcourt issues at just 24th in halfcourt O rating. They’re also below average in transition points per game, so it’s all about their rebounding. NYK’s defense has held up this year, and Boston’s second-ranked 43.3% 3-point frequency should be a big part of the game plan against the Knicks’ sixth-highest 3-point frequency allowed.

*This matchup is just bad for Julius Randle. He’s going to see a lot of Jrue Holiday and Al Horford, and Randle had a rough opener with just 14 points on 5-of-22 shooting. No thanks.

*Jalen Brunson will draw a lot of Derrick White, and Brunson also had a rough go in the opener with 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting. Brunson just can’t convert his drives this year at a 34.8 FG%, but the role is basically just as good as it was last year. I’d be more into Brunson over Randle, but this isn’t an exciting spot for Action Brunson.

*R.J. Barrett should have the best matchup for the Knicks. The Celtics will likely put Tatum on him, and Barrett has played pretty well against the Celtics overall (24 points in the opener). Barrett has the confidence of Thibs, and he could get up there in minutes.

*Mitchell Robinson’s matchup isn’t great with the way the Celtics have protected the paint. Plus, he’ll be at risk of fouls, but Mitch is in play because we’ve seen him hit his minutes ceiling more often this year.

*Jayson Tatum gets an easy matchup against an undersized Quentin Grimes. On top of going off for 34 in the opener, Tatum is just rolling offensively with his career-high 64.2 TS%, and he’s also at the fastest pace of his career. With Jaylen Brown struggling a bit, this feels like a massive Tatum spot.

*Speaking of Jaylen Brown, he’s off to a bit of a sluggish start from an efficiency standpoint, but the good news is that his role is still there. Mazzulla has been running him in the second unit a bit to buoy his USG%, and at least Brown is coming in with some momentum in the form of 29- and 28-point games over the weekend. The Knicks used a lot of Julius Randle on him in the last game, so the matchup is excellent here. I’d rather go with Tatum, but Brown has a great chance to keep it going.

*Kristaps Porzingis gets a tough matchup here. The Knicks are excellent inside, so it’ll likely be a perimeter-based attack from The Unicorn (five treys in the opener). I’m not too into Jrue Holiday or Derrick White, but Holiday being used more like a forward could add to his rebounding total.

Great matchups: Jayson Tatum

Good matchups: R.J. Barrett, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday

Bad matchups: Kristaps Porzingis, Julius Randle

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Washington Wizards (back end) at Toronto Raptors