The Boston Celtics have been about as cold as Carmelo Anthony has been hot — and that's saying something. Anthony looks to continue his prolific output and lead the New York Knicks to a third straight victory when they host the struggling Celtics on Tuesday. Boston has lost two straight and 17 of 20 to drop a season-high 16 games below .500.
After putting up a franchise-record 62 points in Friday's 125-96 win over Charlotte, Anthony involved his teammates a bit more in Sunday's 110-103 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring 35 points and dishing out five assists. "He's a guy that just wants to win," teammate Raymond Felton told reporters of Anthony. "Sometimes he likes to take it on his shoulders, so we have to take some of that pressure off of him by hitting shots, by making lays offensively." The Celtics simply need someone — anyone — to step up at the offensive end, as they've averaged 81 points over their past two games and are shooting 28.8 percent from 3-point range over their past 20 contests.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (15-31): Boston doesn't have a lot of offensive firepower to begin, and it's No. 2 scorer — guard Avery Bradley (14.5 points) — is out with a sprained ankle. Rajon Rondo's return has provided a bright spot, as the four-time All-Star played a season-high 30 minutes and recorded 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in Sunday's 85-79 loss to Brooklyn — his fifth game back. Forward Brandon Bass returned to the starting lineup against Nets and hit all six of his field-goal attempts for 17 points after coming off the bench the previous seven games.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (17-27): Anthony (27.2 points, 9 rebounds) has been New York's go-to guy since his arrival in the Big Apple, but there's even more pressure for him to carry the load at the moment. Forwards Andrea Bargnani (elbow), Amar'e Stoudemire (ankle) and Kenyon Martin (ankle) are all sidelined, leaving the Knicks short on frontcourt depth and secondary scorers. The Knicks also need more from point guard Raymond Felton, who snapped out of a bit of an offensive funk with 20 points against the Lakers on 8-of-10 shooting.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Boston has won the first two meetings this season and four of the last five overall.
2. Anthony needs 39 points to reach 19,000 in his career. He will be the 50th player in NBA history to reach the milestone.
3. The Celtics, who host Philadelphia on Wednesday, have lost the first game of their last six back-to-back sets and are 2-10 overall on the front end when playing on consecutive days.