Is Josh Hart playing tonight for Knicks vs. Celtics?

The New York Knicks started the 2025-26 season the way many expected them to. 

The franchise matched up against a Darius Garland-less Cleveland Cavaliers squad at home and took care of business via a 119-111 season-opening victory. 

The Knicks’ next contest takes place tonight, as New York will take the floor against a Boston Celtics team without arguably their most impactful player (Jayson Tatum, who’s recovering from an Achilles tear). 

Unfortunately, there’s a legitimate possibility that the Knicks could be without their ultimate glue guy, Josh Hart.

Is Josh Hart playing tonight vs. the Celtics?

Like Karl-Anthony Towns (who's dealing with a right quad strain), Hart found himself on the injury report for tonight’s game.

Due to a lower back injury, the Villanova product is listed as questionable, giving him a 50/50 chance of competing with the Knicks in their second regular-season game of the year. 

Hart missed New York’s opening night victory over the Cavaliers due to the same injury, but could make the progress necessary to return to the hardwood in due time. 

Hart, a 6-foot-5 guard known for making all of the unnoticed hustle plays, scoring when needed, and finding the open man in transition situations, averaged 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on the Eastern Conference Finals-bound Knicks last season. 

There’s no question that the Knicks will officially be back in business once Hart is fully healthy.

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