Two teams heading in completely opposite directions collide on Friday when the Boston Celtics play host to the division rival New York Knicks. The Celtics can extend their phenomenal winning streak to 13 with a win over the lowly Knicks tonight. Boston, who opened as 9.5-point favorites, will appeal to hoops bettors due to the favored team going 7-3 ATS in the last 10 matchups between the squads.
New York’s season has completely gone off the rails since late January, which has created some understandable unrest in the locker room. The Knickerbockers have dropped 15 of their previous 18 contests to fall out of postseason contention in what's becoming another lost year in The Big Apple.
One area the Knicks have been solid in is producing as big underdogs, as the Knicks are 7-1 ATS in their last eight as underdogs of 9.5 points or more. Oddsmakers opened Carmelo Anthony and company as hefty 9.5-point dogs.
As far as the total is concerned, it’s the OVER that will likely draw the most attention in this one. The C’s have gone OVER in five of their previous six when facing a closing total of 210 or more, and the Knicks are 3-1 O/U with two days off between games as of late. The total opened at 209.5 at most shops.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The visiting New York Knicks betting line opened this morning as 9-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark (including Sportsbook), while the total was hovering around 210 at Sportsbook and other betting odds shops.
Prediction-scoring formulas run on this game pick a potential 112-95 result in favor of the Celtics. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NBA matchups here.
New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Boston Celtics currently sport a record of 37-25, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 34-26-2 ATS. The New York Knicks are 25-37 and 32-29-1 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Celtics post a 31-30-1 OVER/UNDER record this season, while the Knicks have gone 30-31-1 against the total number of points scored. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Boston vs New York injuries news.
This game matches up the No. 2 (Boston Celtics) and the No. 24 (Knicks) teams in the league, according to our current NBA betting Power Rankings at Odds Shark.
Statistical Matchup
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting New York Knicks rank No. 15 in the league with 43.95 per game. That compares with Boston's No. 7 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Boston is the NBA's No. 11-ranked team at 8.92 per game, while the New York Knicks rate No. 25 with 7.18 per contest.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Carmelo Anthony poured in 23 points and chipped in with 23 rebounds in a losing cause for New York on Tuesday, as the Trail Blazers rolled to a 104-85 victory over New York at Madison Square Garden.
The Celtics blew out Portland on Wednesday, running up the score in a 116-93 win at TD Garden.
Next Betting Matchups
New York home to Detroit, Saturday, March 5th
Boston at Cleveland, Saturday, March 5th