Boston Celtics DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Boston Celtics forward/center Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) will be back in the lineup on Thursday against the Knicks. After being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Porzingis sat out Tuesday's big matchup against Milwaukee. He was also initially regarded as questionable for Thursday, but the team has upgraded him to available. Porzingis will be eager to perform well against his former team. He's done a lot of damage against the Knicks across four games this season, averaging 23.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 blocks with 56 percent three-point shooting.

Boston Celtics center Al Horford (toe) is available to play in Thursday's game against the New York Knicks. The first-place Celtics tend to list Horford with a sprained left big toe on back-to-back sets, so look for the veteran big man to be unavailable for Friday's tilt against the dismal Charlotte Hornets. With Kristaps Porzingis' (hamstring) status remaining uncertain for Thursday's contest, Horford could be in for start at center in Boston's first unit and a considerable bump in DFS rostership if KP is inactive. In 19 games without Porzingis this season, Horford is logging 11.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 three-pointers, and 1.8 combined steals plus blocks per contest. With that said, the Knicks are giving up the second-fewest DraftKings points to opposing centers this year.

Boston Celtics forwards Jayson Tatum (knee) and Jaylen Brown (hand) have been upgraded to available to play in Thursday's matchup with the New York Knicks. Thursday is the first leg of Boston's back-to-back, so expect the first-place Celtics to hand out some maintenance days for Friday's game against the lowly Charlotte Hornets. Tatum is piling up 27.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 3.2 three-pointers per game over his last 14 appearances, while Brown is racking up 26.1 points, 6.2 boards, 3.1 dimes, and 2.3 threes per contest across his latest 13 showings. The two-way superstars have a tough test against a Knicks defense allowing the second-fewest points per game (108.1) in the Association this season, but they could be in for more usage if Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) sits out on Thursday.

Boston Celtics forward/center Al Horford (toe) is questionable for Thursday's meeting with the Knicks. This injury has bothered him for at least a few weeks, and with the C's coasting to the postseason, he could get another night off to rest. With Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) and Xavier Tillman Sr. (knee) also on the injury report, Luke Kornet may get more work than he can handle at the five. Of course, more minutes are never a bad thing concerning Kornet's DFS potential.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, guard Jrue Holiday (knee) and the Celtics agreed to a four-year, $135 million extension. The 33-year-old was traded to the Celtics before the 2023-24 campaign after spending his last three seasons with the Bucks. Although his scoring numbers have dropped significantly since last season, he remains one of the most capable defenders in the National Basketball Association. While retaining Holiday will help keep Boston competitive moving ahead, it also opens up some much-needed cap space. Unfortunately, Holiday is no longer a consistent fantasy asset, and his durability over the years has also been an issue. Still, his upside is still higher than most, and it should stay that way for at least a few more seasons.