The Celtics and Knicks continue their second round series with Game 4 in New York on Monday. Currently, the Knicks hold a 2-1 series lead. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Celtics are favored by 6.5 points for Game 4 and this contest carries a total of 208 points.
Below, I break down Game 4 between the Celtics and the Knicks and give a pick for the game via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Celtics vs. Knicks preview, prediction
After blowing back-to-back 20-point leads in Games 1 and 2 and losing both contests, the Celtics got on the board in Game 3 on Saturday with a convincing 22-point win. Boston led for this entire contest, and they led by as many as 31 points. It was a very balanced effort for Boston, with five players scoring 15+ points. Payton Pritchard notably had his best game of the series, with the Sixth Man of the Year scoring 23 points off the bench. After shooting a poor 25% on three pointers in the first two games of this series, the Celtics finally caught fire in Game 3 and shot 50% from beyond the arc as a team.
In the disappointing loss for the Knicks, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns did their job with 27 and 21 points, respectively, but no other player scored more than 12 points. OG Anunoby notably was the biggest letdown with only two points.
While the Knicks hold a 2-1 series lead, this series easily could be 3-0 in favor of the Celtics, as they have led by 20+ points in every game and have led for the majority of this series. As we saw in Game 3, Boston is one of the best three point shooting teams of all time – they broke the record for made three pointers in the regular season – and the Celtics’ shooting woes in the first two games were a fluke. Boston getting cold again from downtown is one of the Knicks’ only hopes of winning Game 4, but that is unlikely when you consider how poorly New York has defended the Celtics’ outside shot. Notably, 86% of Boston’s three point attempts in this series haven’t had a defender within four feet.
The Knicks conversely struggled with their outside shot in Game 3, shooting 25% from beyond the arc. While New York will likely improve in this department in Game 4, it likely won’t be an overwhelming improvement, as the Celtics are limiting their opponents to the second-fewest made three pointers and second-lowest three point percentage this season. As a whole, this defending champion Celtics team appeared to get their confidence back in Game 3, which is a scary sight for the Knicks.
Celtics vs. Knicks pick, best bet
The Celtics are simply the better team than the Knicks and backing Boston to even this series up at two wins apiece is a no-brainer for Game 4. Boston is 5-2 against New York this season, and they have had a 20+ point lead in all but one of these seven games. This game will be in New York at Madison Square Garden, but the Celtics are 3-0 in the famous arena, and they are an outstanding 35-9 on the road this season, which is tied with the Thunder for the best away record in the NBA. Boston should have been favored by near double-digits for Game 4. They are a must-bet at this -6.5-point line.
