Knicks at Celtics NBA Betting Odds & Analysis

Knicks at Celtics NBA Betting Odds & Analysis

Written by on December 6, 2018

If we are being very honest, the current standings in the NBA are not really what anyone expected to see at this stage of the season. We all believed that the Golden State Warriors would once again run away with the West, yet they are currently languishing down in 4th. The Toronto Raptors sitting atop the Eastern Conference is not particularly surprising, although the expectation was that they and the Boston Celtics would be going toe to toe for the top spot this season.

That is certainly not how things are going, though, with the Celtics stuck down in the #6 spot after a very disappointing start to the year. There is plenty of time to put things right for this Boston team, though, and they will try to take another step forward on Thursday night when they welcome in the New York Knicks. Not surprisingly, the Knicks are well off the pace and probably looking at another season out of the playoffs. Boston comes into this one as a 13 ½ point favorite, with the point total set at 217.

Knicks at Celtics NBA Betting Odds & Analysis

Why bet on the New York Knicks?

While it would certainly be easy to count the Knicks out here, let’s not forget that they came up with a 117-109 win when they played in the Garden earlier this season. This will actually be the third meeting between these two teams this season, with the series split right down the middle. The first meeting of the year could actually have gone either way, but it was the Celtic who came away from the Big Apple with a 2-point win.

The Knicks have not been a terribly bad bet of late, covering the spread in 7 of their last 10 games. Things are less impressive when they are in as the road underdog, which is where their ATS record drops to 6-6-1. Going back to the last win over the Celtics, NY started as a 14-point underdog, so definitely worth a look here.

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 108.92
  • Field Goal Percentage: 43.74
  • Three-Point Percentage: 34.38
  • Free Throw Percentage: 78.50
  • Total Rebounds: 46.08
Defense
  • Total Score: 114.40
  • Field Goal Percentage: 47.38
  • Three-Point Percentage: 36.80
  • Free Throw Percentage: 74.92
  • Total Rebounds: 46.12

Why bet on the Boston Celtics?

Not so very long ago, the Celtics were sitting with a .500 record on the season, but 3 straight wins have taken them to 13-10. They have been winning big in this current run, taking out their opponents by an average of just shy of 20 PPG. Perhaps even more impressive is that 2 of those 3 wins came in games that Boston started as an underdog.

Knicks at Celtics is all Eastern Conference battle.

That is certainly better than their record as the favorite, where they are just 7-9 ATS, although that does improve to 5-4 ATS in games played at home. The Celtics have played down to the level of their competition in the early part of the season, going just 5-5 SU versus teams with a record of .500 or worse. Those are the types of teams that they need to handle to get back in the hunt.

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 108.52
  • Field Goal Percentage: 44.54
  • Three-Point Percentage: 35.95
  • Free Throw Percentage: 78.73
  • Total Rebounds: 45.78
Defense
  • Total Score: 104.13
  • Field Goal Percentage: 43.94
  • Three-Point Percentage: 32.08
  • Free Throw Percentage: 75.00
  • Total Rebounds: 45.70

Knicks at Celtics NBA Betting Trends

  • New York is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
  • New York is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
  • The total has gone OVER in 6 of New York’s last 8 games on the road
  • Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
  • Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston’s last 7 games

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Knicks at Celtics

Given the way the Celtics have been playing over their last few games, I think they can come into this one and put in another solid performance. I like them to win and cover here.

Score: New York Knicks 101 – Boston Celtics 117