Madison Square Garden hosts a high-profile Eastern Conference matchup on Wednesday evening (00:00 Thursday morning UK time), as the New York Knicks take on the Boston Celtics.

The Knicks made the second round of the playoffs last season, and won three of the four games against the C’s – including three straight.

Boston, meanwhile, lost in seven games in the conference finals against the Miami Heat, and will be hoping to make it back to the NBA finals once more after the changes they made to their roster during the offseason.

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The Knicks aren’t expected to be contenders for the title this season, but Garden will be rocking as this is one of the best teams New York have had in a while.

They’ve added Donte DiVincenzo to the ranks and no doubt he’ll feature prominently alongside Josh Hart, RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.

As for the Celtics, they’ll be hoping to win it all after shaking up their roster ahead of the season, ditching key cogs Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart, and Robert Williams.

Former Knick Kristap Porzingis arrives after an impressive stint in Washington, along with Jrue Holiday, but the C’s will be led by Jayson Tatum, who continues to go from strength-to-strength.

Money line – New York Knicks @ 11/8

Although I’m not expecting the Knicks to be a contender, I do expect them to be one of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference this season.

There’s a lot of optimism in Boston after their offseason changes, but the factor that sways me for this game is that New York’s starting five hasn’t changed from last year.

It may take some time for the new-look Celtics to gel, while the Knicks will be hoping to pick up from where they left off. The Celtics got the better of the Knicks when they met in preseason, but I think the value on the money line lies with New York.

A season opener under the lights at MSG against an old rival? Expect the Garden to be electric, and get the Knicks over the line here.

Over 224.5 points @ 10/11

I’m expecting a high-scoring game on Wednesday night.

The Knicks had an impressive offensive performance last season, averaging 116.0 points per game (PPG), while they also ranked third in the league for rebounds per game. The Celtics were no slouches either, scoring 117.9 PPG, ranking fourth overall.

I think both teams will want to showcase their offensive prowess in their opening match of the campaign, and that could see both sides rack up the points.