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The New York Knicks make the trip to Boston to face the well-rested Celtics on Thursday at the TD Garden.
The Celtics last played on Saturday and have rested for a full four days before hosting the Knicks at their home floor. Meanwhile, the Knicks are coming off a loss to the Wizards last Monday.
Courtney Lee Is Back
The Knicks have lost three out of their last four games and are coming off a loss to Washington where they blew an 11 point second quarter lead. Shooting guard Courtney Lee made his first appearance of the season, scoring 7 points in 16 minutes of action. Lee missed the start of the season with a neck injury. Moving forward, Lee should be a big part of the Knicks’ offense as he provides them with three point shooting and veteran leadership.
The Knicks score an average of 108.9 points per game which is ranked 19th in the entire league. New York is also 29th in assists at 19.1 dimes per contest. The Knicks also allow 114.4 points per game, good for 26th in the NBA. They also rank 11th in terms of rebounding at 45.9 boards per game.
New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics 12/6/18
Moneyline Odds: Knicks +725, Celtics -1000
Odds from Betonline.ag as of 12/6/18
Hayward’s Best Game Of Season
The Boston Celtics have won three games in a row for the first time since November 2. Boston defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-109 on the road last Saturday to improve their record to 13-10 on the season. Despite the win, Boston is way short of preseason expectations as they are still just 3rd in the Atlantic Division and 6th overall in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics rank only 21st in the NBA in team scoring at 108.5 points per game. They are 8th in the league in assists at 24.9 dimes per contest. But while Boston struggles to score points this season, they’ve made up for that by owning the 5th best scoring defense in the NBA, allowing just 104.1 points per game. The men in green average 45.8 rebounds per game, good for 12th in the league.
Who Wins?
These teams have played each other a total of 473 times all-time. The Celtics lead the series 291-182 and have won 4 out of their last 6 meetings. However, these teams are 1-1 this season with the Knicks winning their last meeting 117-109.
Celtics are on a three game winning streak and seem to be playing better (although not their best yet) than they did last month. Boston has outscored its last 5 opponents by 13.6 points and the have been shooting 48.8% from the floor over that period. They are also coming off a well-deserved four day break especially since the team played 14 out of its first 23 games on the road.
The Knicks had a big win over the Bucks two games ago and they have Courtney Lee back in action. Overall though, the absence of Porzingis is too much against a loaded team like the Celtics. New York beat Boston in their last meeting but the Celtics are playing much better these days.
We’re picking the Boston Celtics to beat the New York Knicks on 12/6/18.
Other Bets To Make
The Knicks are 13-10-2 ATS in 25 games played this season and are 7-6-1 ATS in 14 road games played so far. The Celtics are only 10-13 ATS on the season and 5-4 ATS in nine home games played so far. Head to head, the Celtics are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 meetings against the Knicks.
New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics 12/6/18
Spread Odds: Knicks +12.5 (-110), Celtics -12.5 (-110)
Odds from Betonline.ag as of 12/6/18
The Celtics have won by an average winning margin of 19.7 points per game during their current three game win streak. But the C’s are just 2-5 ATS in seven games where they were favored by at least 8 points. Four out of the last five meetings between these team have been decided by single digits including their first two meetings this season. The Celtics beat the Knicks 103-101 on October 20 while the Knicks beat the Celtics 117-109 last November 21st. I don’t have enough confidence in Boston winning by 13 points. I’ll take the plus points.
Prediction: Knicks +12.5
The over is 13-12 in the Knicks’ 25 games played this season while the total has gone over in 13 out of the 23 games played by the Celtics. The over is 8-6 in New York’s 14 road games played and the over is also 5-4 in the Celtics’ 9 home games played.
New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics 12/6/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 216.5 -110, Under 216.5 -110
Odds from Betonline.ag as of 12/6/18
The over is 4-0 in Boston’s last five games played while the total has gone over in six out of the last 8 games played by the Knicks. The Celtics have averaged 117.6 points per game in their last 5 games and 123.33 points per game during their three game winning streak. I think the Celtics are starting to return to form. The Knicks are averaging 109 points per game in their last five games. I like the over.
Prediction: Over 216.5
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