“We left home 2-2. We can’t take anything for granted, we’ve got to … [execute] at a high level, can’t keep doing these 20-point leads for Boston and hope to come back and win the game,” said Karl-Anthony Towns after his team’s recent win against the Boston Celtics. For many, it would be a matter of pride to hold a 2-0 record against the defending champions by defeating them on their turf. For the star center, however, Jayson Tatum and co would develop enough motivation from the losses to steal the lead from them. Therefore, both he and Jalen Brunson will have to continue giving their best in the coming games. While we don’t know how they will perform, we know that they will at least be there to perform.

According to the New York Knicks injury report, as highlighted by ESPN, neither Jalen Brunson nor Karl-Anthony Towns are listed with an injury. This confirms that, unless an emergency occurs, both players will be available to take on the Boston Celtics in Game 3.

It was around 2 weeks ago when Jalen Brunson had to head to the locker room after sustaining an apparent right ankle injury. It occurred during the 3rd quarter of Game 4 against the Detroit Pistons. Fortunately, he returned in the 4th quarter itself and did not have to miss out on any games after that. The scare would have been enough for Knicks fans to handle. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns had to battle through a case of left knee soreness during the early part of April. The knee caused Towns to be absent from a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, and then 2 games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets, a little before mid-April. Fortunately, since then, the Center has been available and will continue doing so.

Meanwhile, for the Boston Celtics, the only player listed on the report is Sam Hauser. The player had sustained a lower-body injury during Game 1 of the Celtics-Knicks series after he fouled Knicks forward OG Anunoby on a three-point attempt with 29 seconds left in the 3rd quarter. He immediately crouched on the ground in pain and had to be helped to the locker room by Celtics’ trainer Drew Moore. Later, he was diagnosed with a sprained right ankle. Not only did Hauser not return in the remaining minutes of Game 1, he was also ruled out of Game 2. Now, his status for Game 3 stands as ‘doubtful’.

In light of these updates, at least one of the teams will have to make adjustments to their starting lineups.

What will the starting lineup and depth chart for the Knicks-Celtics Game 3 look like?

There is very little doubt amongst several of the analysts that the New York Knicks have things covered rotation-wise. Former Boston Celtics champion Kendrick Perkins himself recently said that “Tom Thibodeau … is coaching his a*s off right now. That’s how they’re winning. The coaching and the trust. When Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns go to the bench, I see the pace pick up.” Therefore, even in the unfortunate situation that either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jalen Brunson is benched, the Knicks can still carry on. Probably not if both of them are sidelined. In light of this update, the starting lineup for the New York Knicks for Game 3 is expected to look like this:

For Game 2, it was reported that Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, or Torrey Craig would shoulder the load off the bench for Sam Hauser. Now, if he continues to remain absent, the Celtics’ typical starters will likely continue to play extended minutes. Therefore, given the updates for the Boston Celtics, their starting lineup is expected to look like this:

The New York Knicks or the Boston Celtics? Who will you be rooting for? Let us know in the comments section down below.