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We have an Eastern Conference battle between two rivals from the Atlantic conference. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Celtics-Knicks prediction and pick.
Both of these two teams are struggling at this point in the season. Heading into the year, both teams had high expectations but are failing to succeed. They both sit at 18-20 on the year which is not where anyone predicted them to be. If the season were to end right now, the Knicks would miss the playoffs altogether and the Celtics would be the 10th seed for the play-in game. The Celtics won the last time these two teams met, so we will see if that continues to be the case Thursday night.
Here are the Celtics-Knicks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Celtics-Knicks Odds
Boston Celtics: -1.5 (-110)
New York Knicks: +1.5 (-110)
Over: 208 (-108)
Under: 208 (-112)
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Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
The Celtics are capable of covering this spread, considering they won the last time they faced. The Celtics just got swept in the season series to the San Antonio Spurs last night, which is not a good sign. Jayson Tatum returned to the Celtics Wednesday night but shot 6-20 with 19 points in the loss. Jaylen Brown led the team with 30 points. Something must change if the Celtics want to turn it around. I'm not sure what it is, but it feels like this team is a lot better than they are playing.
Boston is 12-10 against the East this season which is a better sign. But in their last 10 games, Boston is 4-6 and are trending in the wrong direction. You would think it would be the opposite with the return of Tatum, but we will see if that changes Thursday night. The Celtics really need to figure out how to create easy shots because it seems like they force up a lot of tough shots. With Tatum and Brown playing iso-ball a majority of the game, it makes it a lot easier to defend. The Celtics have also lost five-straight games on the road.
Why The Knicks Could Cover The Spread
This is a game where the Knicks must win. They are falling apart at the wrong time but still have a chance to make it up. The Knicks and Celtics are 1-1 against each other this season and so this is the game that could really benefit them with a win. As it seems now, both of these teams will be neck-and-neck all season long. Having the season advantage over the other could be what gets them into the playoffs or not. It isn't like last year, where the Knicks were a top-5 seed in the East. They are currently on the outside looking in and will need help getting there.
The Knicks are coming off a win against the Indiana Pacers 104-94. They need to keep that momentum going as they host the Celtics. If they can contain Tatum and Brown then the Knicks will have a shot at winning this game. They can't let Boston disrupt their flow with their elite defense. Marcus Smart also seems to cause a problem for the Knicks because of his aggressive defense and ability to steal the ball. The Knicks need to make sure their game plan is strong and need to pick up their defense. The Knicks defense is already among the best in the NBA, they just need to prove it once again Thursday night.
Final Celtics-Knicks Prediction & Pick
I'm going to take the Knicks to cover this spread in which it will be a nail-biter. Boston is playing in a back-to-back and is fresh off a bad loss to the Spurs. We will see if the Celtics are able to bounce back, but either way, I am also going with the over at 208 in this one. I think it will be a higher-scoring game than the last game for the Celtics.
Final Celtics-Knicks Prediction & Pick: Knicks +1.5 (-110) & over: 208 (-108)
