The New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics will meet for the third time tonight as they jostle for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks enter this game coming off a brutal loss to the Detroit Pistons, where they were without Karl-Anthony Towns.

Knicks’ star center missed the clash after suffering a massive collision during his team’s matchup against the Nuggets on Wednesday. Now, as they look to take a lead against their rivals in the season series, New York will be hoping that KAT can return to the court, but will he be able to do so?

Is Karl-Anthony Towns playing tonight against the Celtics?

KAT is probable to play ahead of the marquee clash. This comes as a result of Karl-Anthony Towns still being on a day-to-day basis because of the eye laceration he suffered on Wednesday. Towns suffered this injury late in the first quarter when he drove to the rim and collided heads with Spencer Jones.

His right eye was bloodied, but despite the severity of the cut, Towns remained on the floor long enough to convert both free throws before heading to the locker room. He did return with stitches, but it seems that won’t be the case tonight.

Of course, this could be a huge bummer for the Cs, as they need a win tonight to cement their position as the second seed for the rest of the season. Thus far, KAT has been instrumental for New York despite a sluggish start.

Right now, he’s averaging 19.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. So, not having him on the court could be daunting for the Knicks. More so, because the 2-2 without him this season.

Another reason why the All-Star center’s absence will hurt the historic franchise is that they also have several more injuries to deal with on top of this massive blow.

The Celtics vs the Knicks injury reports for February 8th

Here are all the latest updates on the rest of the players ahead of tonight’s game:

New York Knicks injury report

Apart from Karl-Anthony Towns, several other Knicks stars could also miss tonight’s clash. This includes the likes of Josh Hart and OG Anunoby. While Hart is struggling with an ankle injury and is questionable, OG Anunoby is dealing with a toe injury and will be a game-time decision.

However, New York’s injury troubles don’t end there. That’s because they will also miss Miles McBride for this game, as he will now undergo surgery to repair a core muscle injury and could be out until the playoffs.

Boston Celtics injury report

Meanwhile, Boston, which has had its fair share of injury trouble this season, looks relatively healthy ahead of this clash. That’s because they will only miss Jayson Tatum against the Knicks. This, of course, isn’t a surprise given that the franchise cornerstone has been ruled out for the season.

Apart from him, the Celtics could also miss Sam Hauser, who has been quite impressive thus far. However, the forward is dealing with a back issue that could stop him from entering the court tonight. So, will that impact Boston’s strategy?

Predicted lineups for the Celtics vs the Knicks

Here’s how the New York Knicks could start with Karl-Anthony Towns:

And here’s how the Boston Celtics could start this game:

So this is how both starting fives could look. Having said that, this will be a close game, with both teams looking to secure a win tonight and establish themselves as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Now, will it be the Celtics who get the win tonight or the Knicks? Only time will tell as we eagerly await the tip-off.