BOSTON CELTICS (34-18) at NEW YORK KNICKS (33-19)

Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Sam Hauser – QUESTIONABLE (low back spasms)

Max Shulga – OUT (G League, two-way)

Jayson Tatum – OUT (right Achilles repair)

OG Anunoby – QUESTIONABLE (right toe soreness)

Josh Hart – QUESTIONABLE (right ankle soreness)

Dillon Jones – OUT (G League, two-way)

Miles McBride – OUT (pelvic core muscle surgery)

Karl-Anthony Towns – QUESTIONABLE (right eye laceration)

What to watch for: It’s Super Bowl Sunday. But before Drake Maye and the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in San Francisco, the Boston Celtics will take on the New York Knicks at TD Garden.

But this game is far more than a Super Bowl pre-game show.

Boston and New York are sitting in second and third place in the Eastern Conference, respectively. The Celtics hold a one-game lead. If the Knicks win, the two teams will be tied, but if the Celtics win, their lead over New York will increase to two games.

Tale of the tape: This will be the third of four games the Celtics and Knicks play this season.

In the first, Boston’s second game of the season, the Knicks took home a 105-95 win at Madison Square Garden, largely thanks to a 42-14 second quarter.

But the Celtics got revenge in the second game on December 2. Jaylen Brown’s 42-point night led Boston to a 123-117 win after being down by 11 after the first quarter.

Last game: The Celtics have won five games in a row, and their last two were unbelievably impressive victories.

First, they beat the Rockets in Houston, rolling out a starting lineup of Ron Harper Jr., Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza, and Neemias Queta.

Standings check-in: As noted, the Celtics and Knicks are in second and third place in the East. Boston’s one-game lead over New York is new, as their win over Miami came on the same night that the Knicks got destroyed by the Detroit Pistons.

Speaking of Detroit, the Pistons still hold the top seed in the East, 4.5 games up on the Celtics.

Knicks check-in: New York has been on fire lately. Like the Celtics, they’ve gone 8-2 in their last 10 games, and prior to their loss to the Pistons last game, they had won eight straight.

Jalen Brunson hasn’t been shooting super well lately, but he’s still leading the Knicks in scoring during their last 10. He’s averaging 22.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists while shooting 40.9% from the floor and 31.6% from deep on 7.9 attempts over that span.

Right behind Brunson has been OG Anunoby. In his last nine games, Anunoby is scoring 18.4 points while shooting 56.8% from the field and 47.9% from distance (5.3 attempts). He’s also grabbing 1.9 steals in those nine games.

Karl-Anthony Towns is putting up 15.4 points and 13.9 rebounds in his last nine, too.

Meanwhile, Josh Hart and Landry Shamet have been on fire from three-point range lately. Hart is shooting 45.2% (3.4 three-point attempts) in his last nine, and Shamet is shooting 47.5% (6.1 attempts) in his last 10.

One fun play: Watch this Hugo Gonzalez closeout.

The Celtics send a lot of help to the paint this season, which often leaves players with two-on-ones like the one Gonzalez is presented with here.

Pelle Larsson gets the ball, but instead of closing out on him directly to contest a potential three-point attempt, Gonzalez closes out to the space between Larsson and Davion Mitchell.

This way, Gonzalez is not only in a position to get a late contest on a shot, but he also takes away the swing pass.

And when Larsson hesitates, all Gonzalez has to do is stay in position, and he comes away with an easy steal. (The sweet pass to Brown in transition was a fun bonus, too.)