New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics Odds, Preview & Prediction
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Knicks vs. Celtics Odds
| Knicks Odds | +7.5 |
| Celtics Odds | -7.5 |
| Over/Under | 208 |
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 8 |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBATV |
On Saturday night, the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics will battle for the second time in three days–this time at TD Garden. When these two teams met on Thursday, the Knicks emerged victorious by a final score of 108-105 on an R.J. Barrett three-pointer at the buzzer. At one point, the Celtics led on Thursday by 25 points, but they were outscored by 19 points in the second half in the losing effort. In the rematch, oddsmakers are anticipating Boston securing a relatively easy victory, pricing the Celtics as 7.5-point home favorites on the spread at online sportsbooks.
New York Knicks
The Knicks have a lot of names on their injury report ahead of tonight’s action, but the only two notable players ruled out are Derrick Rose and Kemba Walker. Both Evan Fournier and Nerlens Noel are listed as questionable. Per Cleaning the Glass, when Walker and Rose have been off of the floor at the same time this season, New York ranks in the 81st percentile in offensive efficiency and the 29th percentile in defensive efficiency–meaning that they are still a competitive basketball team, with a positive Net Rating. When adding Fournier to the off-the-court filter, the Knicks defense improves dramatically to the 93rd percentile, allowing only 103.5 points per 100 possessions. Noel has not played since December 21, and has played only a minimal role with the team thus far in the campaign.
New York ranks 10th in the NBA this season in Net Rating when playing on the road, and is a competitive 13th in Net Rating over their last seven games overall–despite missing Julius Randle in a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which skews this number slightly.
Boston Celtics
The only two names on the Boston injury report, as of this afternoon, are Payton Pritchard and Brodric Thomas –neither of whom has played a remotely significant role with the team this year. Per Cleaning the Glass, when Pritchard and Thomas have been off of the court this season, the Celtics rank in the 47th percentile in offensive efficiency and the 71st percentile in defensive efficiency.
Despite Boston’s undeniably talented roster, they have struggled to sustain much positive momentum through the first half of the campaign–frequently struggling to protect large leads late in games. The Celtics have arguably the two best players on the floor tonight in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, but that does not necessarily mean an easy victory–as we saw at Madison Square Garden two nights ago.
Picks and Prediction
Per EdgHouse, the last five games in which New York has been a five-point underdog or more, they are 0-5 ATS. However, in the last four games in which Boston has been a five point favorite or more, they are 0-4 ATS. Playing on one day of rest this season, New York is 10-16 and Boston is 10-12 straight up. Neither team is above .500 ATS in such situations either. Both the Knicks and Celtics are under .500 overall and ATS when playing on equal rest to their opponent as well. In a game between two inconsistent, unimpressive teams, 7.5 points is too much for one team to cover. Expect another tightly-contested affair–grab the Knicks, plus the points.
If looking to attack the player prop market in this one, PrizePicks has Jaylen Brown’s player prop listed at over/under 22.5 points. Per EdgHouse, Brown has eclipsed this number in 14 of his 25 games played this year. Take the over.
PICK: Knicks (+7.5)
PROPS: Jaylen Brown OVER 22.5 Points, PrizePicks
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