Boston beat up on New York five days ago on the road and now gets to host a home game against the 1-4 Knicks. While both teams have been playing to the UNDER with frequency, the double-digit favorite Celtics still seem like the best play in Friday’s game.
- New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics (Matchup Report)
- Date/Time: November 1, 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV Coverage: Sportsnet One, MSG, NBC Sports Boston
- Sportsbook Odds: Boston -10.5 | O/U 214 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Boston is off to a strong start and has already crushed New York on the road, so being a double-digit home favorite is no surprise. With New York playing to the UNDER in four straight, and three of four Boston games going UNDER this season, the total opened at a low 214 points.
New York News & Notes
It’s been a rocky start to the season for New York. The Knicks are 1-4 through their first five games and their next contest is against a Celtics squad that’s already beaten them by 23 points.
They’re averaging just 100.6 points per game, but are 3-2 ATS on the season. An inability to close out games, due in part to not having a reliable point guard, has been New York’s downfall – Dennis Smith Jr. is away from the team while Elfrid Payton is out with an injury.
That leaves Frank Ntilikina as the only healthy point guard, and he got his first meaningful minutes of the season in Wednesday’s 95-83 loss to Orlando, logging seven points, four assists and four rebounds in 29 minutes.
The former lottery pick has been a huge bust to start his career, but strong play over the next stretch could help keep New York afloat — the Knicks’ only other option is playing rookie RJ Barrett at point, which has been an utter disaster so far this season.
Boston News & Notes
The Boston offense is finally rounding into form and the defense may be putting it together too.
After scoring a season-low 93 points — and allowing a season-high 107 — in their opener, the Celtics have won three straight contests. Their most recent game was a 116-105 win over Milwaukee in which they rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit and Kemba Walker continued his hot start.
Following a 12-point dud in the opener, Walker has scored 86 points in his past three games. He scored 21 points in the second half against the Bucks and gets to face a Knicks squad that he’s already torched this season for 32 points on 64.7 percent shooting.
While Milwaukee and Philadelphia are the presumed favorites in the conference, Boston is slowly making a case that it should be considered among the elite as well.
Betting Pick: Celtics -10.5
Boston beat New York by 23 points on the road, so at home I expect an equally dominant performance. I’ll take Boston to cover.
- The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New York’s last 8 games.
- New York is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games against Boston.
- The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston’s last 10 games against New York.
