Boston Celtics (0-0) vs New York Knicks (0-0)
Game Info: Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at 7:30 pm (TD Garden)
The Line: Betting Odds: Boston Celtics -5.5 — Over/Under: 223.5
The New York Knicks kick off the NBA season with a battle against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden on Tuesday night. Here’s a New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics Prediction. This article will include a New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics Prediction Pick.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are coming into this season off another short playoff run that ended in the second round. Finishing with a solid 50-32 overall record last season, the Knicks felt like their roster needed a shake up, so they acquired Mikal Bridges and made a big move to trade away Julius Randle and Donte DiVicenzo for Karl-Anthony Towns to provide some much-needed scoring and help spread out the floor for Jalen Brunson. Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa missed plenty of time for the Knicks last season, but look for them to have bounce-back seasons once they return to the lineup. I think the addition of Towns raises the ceiling for the Knicks and expectations will be high, so while I have them winning over 50 games, I don’t think they will get any further in the playoffs this time round.
Boston Celtics
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are coming into this season as the reigning champions after winning 64 regular season games and 16 of their19 playoff games to win the NBA Championship. In terms of roster moves, the Celtics didn’t make any noise in the offseason and you can hardly blame them given that they were able to run through the competition in the playoffs despite Kristaps Porzingis sitting out injured for a majority of the run. It’s a new season for the Celtics, but their goal remains the same as it is championship or bust and you just know that Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will both be fired up following their lack of playing time in the USA Basketball team.
Why the Boston Celtics will win
- The Celtics have won 13 of their last 14 games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The Knicks have lost each of their last six road openers as underdogs.
- The Knicks have failed to cover the spread in each of their last three season openers as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The home team has covered the spread in three of the Knicks’ last four games.
Boston Celtics Player Facts
- Jrue Holiday ranked 2nd in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for 3P% (42.9%) last season.
- Derrick White was one of only four qualified players in the league to have averaged at least 1.0 threes, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks last season.
New York Knicks Player Facts
- Karl-Anthony Towns ranked 2nd amongst qualified Centers for three-pointers made Per Game (2.2) last season.
- Miles McBride ranked 9th in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for 3P% (41.0%) last season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Celtics ranked 1st in the league for opponent blocks per game last season (3.7).
- The Celtics ranked 1st in the league for turnovers per game last season (11.9).
- The Knicks ranked 30th in the league for pace last season (95.2).
- The Knicks ranked 1st in the league for rebound percentage last season (52.7%).
New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics Prediction
The Celtics will be raising their championship banner and receiving their rings, so you wouldn’t blame them if they were a little distracted for this contest. The Knicks look like a stronger team on paper with Towns and Bridges in the lineup, and they certainly have a shot at spoiling the party and coming away with the upset here, but I would expect some growing pains early on which could cost them here. I am sure that Jalen Brunson will have a massive game for the Knicks, but I don’t think he will get enough support from his teammates to steal this one. The line is short enough, so I am comfortable laying the points with the Celtics at home.