The New York Knicks took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals matchup, but Boston still has some life. The defending champions produced a convincing Game 5 victory to keep their season alive and will now travel back to New York with the same intentions.
Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury has shifted the outlook of the series, but Boston is much more than a one-man band. Its championship pedigree shone through in the previous game, and it will be looking to do the same in tonight’s matchup. Home court has not meant much in this series, but the action will return to Madison Square Garden tonight. It’s the biggest game at MSG in quite some time as the Knicks look to punch their ticket to the conference finals for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
The Knicks are 2.5-point favorites and hold -142 odds on the moneyline. The Celtics hold +120 odds of getting the outright victory on DraftKings Sportsbook with the over/under set at 211.5.
Looking at the bets placed on DraftKings Sportsbook, it is an interesting mix.
Looking at the betting splits, 61% of the bets and 64% of the betting handle on DraftKings Sportsbook are backing the Knicks to win on the moneyline and finish off the series. This is even more slanted in favor of the spread, with 67% of the bets and 72% of the betting handle backing the Knicks to cover the -2.5 spread. This leaves 39% of the bets and 36% of the betting handle backing Boston on the moneyline and just 33% of the bets and 28% of the betting handle taking the Celtics at +2.5.
There is an even greater gap when looking at the game total — 83% of the bets and 88% of the betting handle on DraftKings Sportsbook are backing the over at 211.5. This leaves just 17% of the bets and 12% of the betting handle to go under this number. The game total has gone over 211.5 in three of the five games this series.
You can check back for updated betting splits on DraftKings Sportsbook here, with late money always a possibility.
Most Popular Player Props:
Here are the most popular player props in the Celtics vs. Knicks Game 6 matchup on DraftKings Sportbook:
- Derrick White 1st Point Scorer (+650)
- Derrick White Over 20.5 Points (-125)
- Karl-Anthony Towns to Record 25+ Points (+200)
- Josh Hart to Record 3+ Made Three-Pointers (+200)
- Jalen Brunson 1st Point Scorer (+450)
- Josh Hart to Record 2+ Made Three-Pointers (+125)
- Jaylen Brown 1st Point Scorer (+475)
- Derrick White to Record 12+ Points (-1200)
- Josh Hart to Record 4+ Made Three-Pointers (+700)
- Karl-Anthony Towns Under 1.5 Made Three-Pointers (-175)
Looking at the futures market, there is plenty at stake tonight. The Boston Celtics entered the NBA playoffs as the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals favorites. They hold the largest portion of futures bets, with 66% of the bets and 51% of the betting handle on DraftKings Sportsbook backing them to win the East. In addition, 31% of the bets and 23% of the betting handle have been wagered on the Celtics to repeat as NBA champions. The Celtics will need a victory in tonight’s game to keep these hopes alive.
On the other side of the matchup, 6% of the bets and 6% of the betting handle are backing New York to win the Eastern Conference. In addition, 5% of the bets and 5% of the betting handle are backing New York to win the championship, which they are just nine wins away from.
