New York vs Boston Preview, Odds, & Betting Pick

The New York Knicks (13-16 SU, 12-17 ATS) are 3-1 SU and ATS in their last four games against the Boston Celtics (14-15 SU, 14-15 ATS). The Knicks will try to earn another win over the Celtics as road underdogs this Saturday night in Boston.

new york knicks vs Boston celtics

Date/Time: December 18, 7:00 p.m. ET
Stadium: TD Garden
TV Coverage: NBA TV
Sportsbook Odds: Celtics -4.5 | O/U 210.5 points (Line History)
Knicks vs Celtics Matchup Report

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Celtics opened as 4.5-point favorites at home playing on the second night of a back-to-back. The total has remained steady since Sportsbook at 210.5 points in this matchup. The UNDER is 6-1 in Boston’s last seven games against Eastern Conference opponents.

New York News & Notes

Immanual Quickley shot 7-for-10 from three-point range to lead the Knicks with 24 points in New York’s 116-103 road win on Thursday over the Houston Rockets as 5.5-point favorites. Prior to that win, the Knicks were 1-6 SU and ATS over their previous seven games including an 0-4 SU and ATS losing streak that was snapped with the win. The bench scored 63 points against the Rockets.

Quickley won’t have the chance to try to follow his hot-shooting game with another this Saturday as he has been ruled out against Boston due to COVID-19 protocols. The Knicks could be without two of their top four scorers as well with RJ Barrett listed as questionable in safety protocols and Derrick Rose listed as questionable due to an ankle injury he suffered against Houston. New York will be counting on Julius Randle and Evan Fournier to carry the load against Boston.

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Boston News & Notes

The Celtics managed to erase a 68-54 first-half deficit against the Golden State Warriors to take an 84-82 lead early in the fourth quarter on Friday night, but in the end the Warriors still came away with a 111-107 win in Boston. Jayson Tatum had 27 points in the loss, which dropped the Celtics to 1-4 SU and 1-3-1 ATS over their last five games. Tatum is averaging 26.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game so far in 2021-22.

Like the Knicks, Boston could have some key players out on Saturday night as Al Horford is questionable due to COVID-19 safety restrictions and Dennis Schroder is questionable with a non-COVID related illness. Boston will be trying to improve on an underwhelming 7-5 SU and 5-6-1 ATS record at home this season with a win over the Knicks.

How New York Will Cover

New York received some excellent play from all of its bench players in Thursday’s win over Houston. Getting scoring support from the bench to help take the pressure off of Julius Randle and the starters would go a long way in helping the Knicks cover the spread again on Saturday.

How Boston Will Cover

The Knicks averaged only 95.5 points per game over their previous four games before their win over the lowly Rockets. If Boston plays to its potential on offense, it will likely lead to a win and cover with New York having trouble keeping up on the scoreboard.