The Celtics opened their season on Wednesday night with a disappointing loss at TD Garden to the 76ers 117-116, starting their season 0-1 after a preseason of optimism had Celtics fans feeling like things might be OK without the injured Jayson Tatum and the bevy of talent that left the roster this offseason through a combination of trades and free agency.

It still might be, but it doesn’t get any easier on Friday night in game No. 2 for the boys in green.

They’ll head down to Madison Square Garden for a rematch with the rival that sent them packing last spring, as the New York Knicks will welcome Boston to town for the debut of the NBA on Amazon Prime Video.

Betting Odds for Celtics vs. Knicks - October 24, 2025 (Full Game)

Spread: Celtics +4 (-114), Knicks -3.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Celtics +142, Knicks -162
Total: Over 229.5 (-110), Under 230 (-110)

Best number in each market via OddsTrader, which aggregates all the odds from every sportsbook to give you the best options to choose from.

Here’s three things to keep an eye on heading into tonight’s game:

1. Happy Jaylen Brown Day!

No need to Google what that is - here’s what Gemini says:

“‘Jaylen Brown Day’ is an official city celebration in Boston held on October 24th to honor Celtics player Jaylen Brown for his contributions both on and off the court. The day is declared on his birthday and recognizes his achievements as a basketball player, including being a Finals MVP, and his community work, with a focus on encouraging people to contribute to their communities.”

2025 marks the first time this “holiday” is being celebrated by Boston, and hopefully this recognition on his 29th birthday will help spearhead the 2024 Finals MVP towards a big night.

Last May, during a pop-up shop for one of his 741 brand stores, Brown spoke about how much Boston means to him.

“Boston is home,” said Brown. “I’ve been here for ten years of my life. Even though sometimes online or in the media there’s a lot of noise, once you get out into the community there’s a lot of love and genuine connections. That means more than anything to me.”

On opening night against the 76ers, Brown accounted for 25 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists - a decent line by any measure for the four-time All-Star. With that said, Brown and head coach Joe Mazzulla received criticism following Wednesday night’s loss for not having the ball in his hands for the final possession of regulation, instead opting for a Payton Pritchard final shot that fell short.

Not to get all “sports radio” on you, but in his first game as lead banana, he failed. And not only did he fail, he was a part of the unit that allowed 42 fourth-quarter points to the 76ers that allowed Philadelphia to comeback and come away with the win.

We’ll see if a combination of avenging last season’s playoff loss, bouncing back from an opening night loss, as well as performing well on his “holiday” is enough for Brown to have a big night on the big stage.

2. We Meet Again

In case anyone needs a refresher, the Celtics were upset by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last May in six games, with Boston blowing huge leads in game one and two of that series at home in front of a stunned TD Garden crowd.

With 2:58 remaining in the fourth quarter of game four of that series, Tatum tore his Achilles, essentially serving as the nail in the coffin for the Celtics’ title defense chances. Two games later, Knicks fans were celebrating their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years.

With Boston’s fall to New York coming in such an epic fashion, it can sometimes go forgotten that the Celtics went 4-0 against their Atlantic Division rival last season. The championship iteration of the Celtics owned this Knicks team…until they didn’t.

This season, these two rosters entered the 2025-26 season with completely different profiles. As we’ve discussed ad nauseam, Boston’s roster is completely new-look. New York, on the other hand, is running back in an attempt to advance all the way to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

An important injury note to keep an eye on for the Knicks, both for Friday’s game at MSG as well as the early part of this season - center Karl-Anthony Towns is currently playing through a quadriceps strain. Initially listed as doubtful for New York’s opening night game against the Cavaliers, KAT gutted his way through a start, scoring 19 points while grabbing 11 rebounds in his team’s 119-11 victory over last season’s top-seed in the Eastern Conference.

3. Payton Pritchard’s Defense

76ers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey and No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe combined for 74 points on opening night at TD Garden, powering Philadelphia’s epic fourth quarter on the way to their comeback victory to open the season.

I’m not putting that entire defensive collapse on the back of new starting point guard Payton Pritchard, but it certainly wasn’t pretty for the defending Sixth Man of the Year.

Coming into this season, Pritchard’s defense was well-known as the part of his game fans needed to keep an eye on as the 27-year-old inherited an increased role with Boston. His scoring ability could not be questioned, but his ability to guard starter-level guards for 37-38 minutes a game was completely open in the air.

One night into the season, and it looks like this might be a real problem.

With Jalen Brunson on tap for Friday in New York, it might get ugly again for Pritchard on the defensive end.

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.