The New York Knicks adjusted their starting lineup on Friday night against Boston, inserting Donte DiVincenzo at shooting guard over Quentin Grimes.
DiVincenzo, a first-year Knicks, previously made two starts in place of an injured Grimes on Nov. 17-18 in Washington and Charlotte.
Grimes had been in the Knicks’ starting lineup in each of his last 83 regular season appearances, having been a staple among the five since taking over for Evan Fournier in the early stages of last season.
The third-year man and 2021 first-round pick had recently expressed concerns with his role on the current team and had been struggling since returning from the aforementioned two-game absence due to a wrist injury (averaging 2.3 points on less than 18 percent from the field over the past seven).
The Boston Celtics announced that Kristaps Porzingis (calf) will be available for Friday night’s showdown against his original NBA employers, the New York Knicks, at TD Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV).
Porzingis, in the midst of his first season in Boston, has not played since Boston’s Nov. 24 loss to Orlando.
The Knicks have felt Porzingis’ wrath in their first two meetings against the Celtics: the eighth-year Latvian professional has earned a combined 51 points (on over 57 percent shooting from the field) and 14 rebounds in that first couple, both Boston victories.
As the Bulls (8-14) continue to falter outside the Eastern Conference postseason picture, the idea of tearing things down has become more prevalent and the Knicks have lingered in the gossip mill for the services of either LaVine or DeMar DeRozan.
LaVine, a Klutch Sports client, is reportedly uninterested in coming to the Knicks due to president Leon Rose’s connections to Creative Artists Agency.
Julius Randle is tipping off the holiday season on a high note, as the New York Knicks’ two-time All-Star forward has been bestowed the Eastern Conference’s Play of the Week Award for the span of Nov. 27 through Dec. 3.
Randle is the second New Yorker to earn the honor this season, joining Jalen Brunson (Nov. 13-19).
Randle continues to rise from early season woes, as his efforts guided the Knicks (12-7) to three consecutive victories this week.
He averaged a double-double at 24.7 points and 13.3 rebounds in the trio, headlined by a 25-20 effort in last Monday’s win over Charlotte.
With that performance, Randle became the first New Yorker to post a 20-20 game since Enes Kanter Freedom in 2018.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla labeled Porzingis “day-to-day” in comments obtained by Cameron Tabatabaie of Celtics Wire.
“He didn’t practice yesterday,” Mazzulla said. “But he got on the court before practice. His status hasn’t been updated as far as if we’ll be ready for money.”
“Money,” of course, refers to the ultimate prize afforded to the In-Season Tournament’s champions, with each member of the winning team getting $500,000.
The winner of the Boston-Indiana tilt will face the victor of a Tuesday tilt between the Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks in Las Vegas, which will also host the championship final on Saturday night.
