I’m fading KAT. First time out with the news mates he might be deferential and Boston’s D is stout.

Jaylen Brown wasn't invited to the Olympics. Jayson Tatum didn't play in the Olympics. This team isn't going to win 73 games, but it feels like the 2015-16 Warriors who came out on a mission to validate the previous year's championship. New York will take a bit to figure out the new pieces. Boston is oiled. It's ring night. Celtics cover.

Boston will be without Kristaps Porzingis, who had foot surgery this past summer. The Knicks added seven-footer Karl Anthony-Towns to finally give them a force in the middle on both ends of the court. New York continued to bolstered their defense with adding Mikal Bridges and also start the season with a healthy OG Anunoby. The Knicks need those type of wing defenders to be able to compete with best in the East, especially tonight against the defending champs.

After adding Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges during the offseason, the Knicks have one of the best starting lineups in the league. Their bench isn’t very deep and they are especially thin at center right now with Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) out. However, I don’t expect that to be a significant disadvantage versus a Celtics team that will be without Kristaps Porzingis (foot). The Knicks have championship aspirations and will be hyped to prove themselves against the defending champs. Look for them to at least keep this close enough to cover.

OG Anunoby will be nobody's focal point here. With two more shooters in the lineup Mikael Bridges and KAT, this Knicks will be able to space the floor. Anunoby was 3-0 to this number vs Boston and the model has him projected for 2.2.

Big Al Horford is set to appear in his 18th NBA season and despite being 38 years old still finds himself playing meaningful minutes for the reigning champs. That being said, his usage is on the decline and the Celtics will look to preserve him especially early in the season. I think it's unlikely we see Al play more than 24-25 minutes and in a game that is likely to be paced down, this is simply a tall order for the big man.

New Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns is a good rebounder but not Dennis Rodman or Rudy Gobert or anything as KAT hasn't averaged DD rebounds since 2020-21. I get why this number is pretty high as the Knicks are short on big men and KAT might have to play heavy minutes -- duh, his coach is Tom Thibodeau -- but our model/AI has him at 7.9 boards. In fact, this is the AI's five-star prop play for the game. Sometimes Towns has to be reminded to get back into the paint and stop shooting 3-pointers.

New adds like Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges have Spike Lee and all Knicks fans hoping they provide the firepower needed to overhaul the Celtics in the East. New York also believes a preview of coming attractions might have been a dominant win at TD Garden in the final week of the regular season last April when Brunson scored 39 and the Knicks bossed far greater than the 118-109 final score suggested. It will also be "raise the banner" night on Tuesday in Boston but the track record for such ceremonial nights in the NBA is not necessarily good for the home sides. The Celtics got thru the playoffs mostly minus Kristaps Porzingis, but his absence at the outset is hardly a plus. Play Knicks