Knicks head home with 3-1 series lead

The New York Knicks will try again to close out their best-of-seven first-round series with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night as they play Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.

The Celtics cut the Knicks' lead in the series down to 3-1 with a 97-90 home win as a 1.5-point underdog in Game 4 of the set on Sunday afternoon. Paul Pierce scored 29 points for Boston in that win, while Carmelo Anthony had 36 points for New York.


New York battles the Celtics, currently with a 41-40 mark (37-41-3 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, important for totals bettors, are 40-40-2 for the Knicks and 42-38-1 for the Celtics. (Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news).



View Boston vs New York Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Knicks were listed as 8-point favorites at sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark (including Sportsbook), with the total was listed at 180 over at Sportsbook earlier.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new Power Rankings at Odds Shark, it's the No. 9-rated Knicks and the No. 18-rated Celtics in this matchup. Predictive computer formulas point to a 101-97 win for the Knicks on Wednesday.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up New York's No. 11-ranked offense (100 PPG) against a Celtics defense that ranks No. 12 at 96.7 PPG. The Knicks have averaged 44.8% from the field per game, less than the Celtics have managed so far this season (46.5% on average).

Defensively, the Celtics feature the league's No. 13-rated defense on the road, giving up 99.5 points per game. New York, meanwhile, comes in at No. 9 in the league in scoring at home.



New York lost its last outing, a 97-90 result against the Celtics on April 28. The Knicks failed to cover in that game as a 1.5-point favorite, while the 187 combined points took the game OVER the total. Carmelo Anthony was dynamite, scoring 36 points and adding 7 rebounds but Boston still won, 97-90, over New York on Sunday at TD Garden.


Boston Celtics Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 7-3
Before playing New York are 4-6
After playing New York are 6-4
After a win are 4-6

New York Knicks Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing Boston are 8-2
After playing Boston are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4



A few Celtics at Knicks trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 7 games when playing New York
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston's last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games on the road
Boston is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against New York
New York is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
New York is 19-3 SU in its last 22 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New York's last 7 games at home
New York is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Boston


Next up:
Boston home to New York, Friday, May 3
New York at Boston, Friday, May 3

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