There’s another hot serving of NBA action on tonight’s plate with several high-profile matchups. Few look better than Knicks vs. Celtics, which pits the reigning champ against a fellow title hopeful. New York dropped its opening game, as did Boston’s new-look roster despite a new face’s excellent play, but what can we expect for game two here?
Read on for a full preview, prediction and pick for Friday’s Knicks vs. Celtics matchup, courtesy of odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Knicks vs. Celtics prediction, preview
Nobody can tell the Knicks anything after last year. The franchise captured its first championship since 1973, putting decades of hardship for this fanbase to rest. However, ring night was spoiled by the 76ers, who took a second-half lead and went on to beat New York 106-100 in the opener. The positives from that matchup center around that the Knicks held a superstar-studded Sixers lineup to just 106 points and also won the rebounding battle by eight, pulling down 53 boards with 14 on the offensive glass. Karl-Anthony Towns played great ball with 19 points and 12 rebounds on some very efficient shooting, but Jalen Brunson started things out with 21 points on a 6-for-19 line. Supporting contributions weren’t too impressive and the team’s 100 points were very underwhelming against a defense with some glaring issues. The Knicks are likely to get more from Brunson and the remainder of the cast moving forward, but tonight’s matchup presents a very difficult test.
The Celtics, meanwhile, also started 0-1 after dropping their opener 121-113 to the Pistons. They had a sizable lead at times, but the defense collapsed in the second half to allow 76 points after halftime, obviously swinging that matchup to the extreme. That defensive shortcoming was concerning, given that Boston ranked fourth in DEFRTG last season, but it’s just one game and there’s no reason to panic yet. The C’s allowed 44 points in the paint – just above last season’s NBA-best average of 40.1 PPG allowed in that area – so the new frontcourt addition of Mitchell Robinson already looks fairly nice after he picked up a pair of blocks. Paul George, another new face as the centerpiece of the Jaylen Brown trade, erupted for 38 points on 12-for-21 shooting while going 7-for-12 from three, also notching five steals. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard also posted 17 points apiece, but that’s where the positives end. The big story of the evening was a disappointing night from Jayson Tatum, who shot 6-for-23 and 0-for-7 from deep with 13 points, though he did dish out 11 assists. There are obviously better nights ahead for the superstar, but in the primary role with Brown now traded, he’ll have to be better.
Knicks vs. Celtics pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Celtics as a 2.5-point favorite at home tonight with -130 odds on the Moneyline. The Knicks are a +110 underdog to win outright with the total set at 221.5 combined points.
This is definitely a matchup in which the under has some serious appeal. It’s a little on the low side, sure, but these defenses tended to win out last year when they played against each other. In four meetings, the Knicks won three times and the total scores of those games came out to 218, 200, 240 and 200 again. There was a good deal of wiggle room in a couple of those, at least in relation to tonight’s total, and Boston did theoretically improve its already-strong interior defense. Those frontcourt guys could make life difficult on Towns tonight, and of course, the perimeter defense from the C’s should still be good, too. New York also finished seventh in DEFRTG last year, too, and both teams finished top five in opponent FG% allowed. With strong units on both sides, I’m fading scoring.
