The Boston Celtics are back in the win column, producing a commanding 115-93 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. This cuts the series deficit to 2-1 after the Knicks took both games in Boston to start the series.
Despite still trailing, the defending champions are the favorites to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Celtics listed as -260 favorites to advance, while the Knicks hold +215 odds to win two of the next four games.
Even before the Game 3 victory, the Celtics held -125 odds of winning the series, while the Knicks were listed at -105 odds.
The defending champions approached Game 3 with the necessary intensity and focus. New York never held a lead in the matchup, while Boston pushed its lead to as many as 31 points. After the Celtics blew 20-point leads in each of the opening two games of the series, Joe Mazzulla made use of his timeouts in the second half whenever the Knicks started to build momentum. You can read more of the full stats and breakdown on DK Network.
Three-point shooting variance continues to be a significant storyline of the series. Boston has committed to its style of launching three-pointers at an all-time high rate. The Celtics set the single-season record for most made three-pointers in the regular season with 1,457. They also broke the record for most three-pointers attempted (3,955) and most three-pointers made per game (17.8).
In Game 3, the Celtics shot 20-for-40 from beyond the arc. This comes after they shot a combined 25-for-100 in the first two games.
The Celtics trail only the Oklahoma City Thunder (+175) for the best championship odds at +230 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
