New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics betting tips and predictions for Monday’s NBA game at Madison Square Garden. Someone’s winning streak will have to end tonight as the Knicks who have won 5 in a row host the Celtics who are on a 3-game win streak. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
New York Knicks
The buzz is back at MSG as the Knicks are playing some of their best basketball this season. They’ve won 5 games in a row, 3 of those wins were by double digits and they are now 6th in the Eastern Conference standings which would guarantee an automatic spot in the playoffs if the season ended today.
With the regular season series tied at 1-1, we could be in for an epic encounter here as two old Eastern Conference rivals go at it. The Knicks enter the game as 2.5 point underdogs, they’ve covered the spread 5 times in their last 6 games at home, plus vs East teams they are 6-1 ATS in the last 7 played. There are also no injuries to report for New York here, which is also a factor when betting on this game.
Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum didn’t have the most productive of games for Boston in their last outing in Philadelphia, but he came up clutch when the team needed him the most. Tatum drained a go-ahead three-pointer that gave the Cs a 3-point lead right at the very end. Embiid hit a half court shot after that, but it was ruled too late and the Celtics escaped Philadelphia with a massive win.
They cannot afford to relax though, after Milwaukee’s 14th win in a row last night they are still only 0.5 games ahead of the Bucks in the standings. Jaylen Brown led the scoring with 26 vs Philadelphia, he has been ruled out for tonight’s game due to personal reasons. It’s a big blow for the Cs on both ends, players like Brunson and Barrett would have a much harder time scoring if Brown was available.
In their last visit to MSG the Celtics won by 15, but that was back in early November and the Knicks are a far better team nowadays. Take into account Browns injury and New York’s win streak, I think the home team has a decent chance here. Take the Knicks and the extra points.
New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics Predictions & Odds
I’m a bit surprised the projected total is at only 223 points here, considering the first 2 meetings produced 251 and 237 points. Over the last 10 meetings the over has cashed 6 times, while in games played at MSG the two teams have gone Over 4 times in the last 5 played. Boston will be down a really good defender in Brown, so don’t be surprised if Brunson goes off here, he is averaging 28.4 points per game over his last 9 appearances.
The Celtics have also gone over in 5 of 6 overall, and in 4 of 5 vs East teams. One of the reasons that’s happened is certainly their offensive output, they are 2nd in the NBA only behind Denver in offensive efficiency scoring 116 points per 100 possessions. The Knicks aren’t far behind, they score 113.8 points which is good enough for 7th place. Expect both teams to be on top of their game offensively, back the over.
