New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics Picks, Predictions, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

Regular season NBA action resumes on Sunday night with a heavyweight Eastern Conference clash between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. Coverage begins from TD Garden in Boston at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

NEW YORK KNICKS vs. BOSTON CELTICS BETTING PREDICTION

The city of New York is finally buzzing about their Knicks again, and rightfully so, as the Knicks enter Sunday following wins in 10 of their last 11 games, allowing them to climb all the way up to 5th on the Eastern Conference totem pole with a record of 38-27.

The Knicks’ overall efficiency numbers on the season are actually quite good, despite their shaky start, considering they rank 4th in offensive rating and 14th in defensive rating (117.3 ORtg, 114.1 DRtg), and quite frankly, two of their last three wins have come against Boston and Miami. So, they’ve been winning some tough games here and there.

However, for several reasons, I’m still skeptical about buying into New York as a legitimate threat in road matchups against top shelf contenders like Boston. For the moment the Knicks are riding high following wins in eight straight games, however, six of those victories came in matchups against the Jazz, Hawks, Wizards, Pelicans, and Nets (2). So, forgive my lack of enthusiasm for their recent success, but the majority of their winning streak has been rather unimpressive. 

While on the other hand, the Celtics are arguably the best team in basketball, currently ranked Top 5 in the league in both offensive and defensive rating (117.7 ORtg, 112.1 DRtg), and they’ll be seeking revenge in this one after taking a 109-94 loss to the Knicks at MSG this past Monday.

The Celtics find themselves in a bit of a rough patch, they enter Sunday having lost two of their last three games, but their injury report remains relatively clean. So, it’s only a matter of time before this squad straightens out the ship.

Betting against the Knicks may seem like a slippery slope right now, but make no mistake about it, the Celtics are the far superior team in this matchup, and in a quick turnaround rematch at home after losing to this team at MSG earlier in the week, the spread for this one feels like an absolute gift. Lay the points with Boston here.

Score Prediction: Celtics 118, Knicks 109
Best Bet: Celtics -5 (-110)

NEW YORK KNICKS vs. BOSTON CELTICS BETTING ODDS

NEW YORK KNICKS vs. BOSTON CELTICS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Sunday, March 5, 2023
Venue: TD Garden
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
TV-Time: ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET
Matchup
Expert Picks

NBA Finals Betting Odds

NEW YORK KNICKS vs. BOSTON CELTICS BETTING STATS

New York Knicks
SU: 38-27
ATS: 37-28
O/U: 35-30
PPG: 115.2
OPPG: 112.1

Boston Celtics
SU: 45-19
ATS: 33-31
O/U: 32-32
PPG: 117.5
OPPG: 112.1

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Updated on 04/24/2024

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NEW YORK KNICKS vs. BOSTON CELTICS BETTING TRENDS

• The Knicks are 8-0 ATS in their last eight games.
• The total has gone OVER in six of New York's last nine games.
• The Knicks are 8-0 SU in their last eight games.
• The Celtics are 1-4 ATS in their last five games.
• The total has gone OVER in six of Boston's last nine games.
• The Celtics are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games.
• The total has gone OVER in five of Boston's last seven games against New York.
• The Celtics are 5-1 SU in their last six home games.
• The Knicks are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games.
• The Knicks are 4-11 SU in their last 15 road games against Boston.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson