Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks Picks and Predictions, Friday, October 24, 2025
Use Code WWWC The Boston Celtics (0-1) and the New York Knicks (1-0) headline Friday night's slate in the NBA with an age-old rivalry in the Eastern Conference for this Celtics vs. Knicks prediction. Boston opened the season with a tough loss at home against Philadelphia, going down 117-116 as 5.5-point home favorites. New York began their campaign with a strong 119-11 home win over Cleveland, winning outright as 1.5-point dogs. Tipoff is set for 7:30 EST and can be found on Amazon Prime. Keep reading to see our Celtics vs. Knicks prediction, and start the season off right with our NBA Picks!
Boston Has a New Look
The Boston Celtics have been one of the best teams in the league over the past few seasons, but their lineup looked drastically different on opening night. The most obvious absence was Jayson Tatum, who could potentially be out for the season with a torn Achilles, even if he is determined to make it back by the playoffs. Jrue Holiday and Al Horford are gone, leaving some familiar faces mixed with new pieces to try to battle in the East.
In their opening game against the 76ers, Boston was led by Jaylen Brown with 25 points in the loss. Brown is a former number three overall pick and Finals MVP. He will need to prove he can be the lead player now that Tatum will be sidelined for the year. Brown is a physical presence on the wing and is joined by Derrick White and Peyton Pritchard in the backcourt. White is a Gold Medalist who joined Team USA for his ability to shoot, defend and play his role. White had another 25 points in the opener and went 7-7 from the line. Pritchard was Sixth Man of the Year last season, but is now a starter who dropped 16 points and five assists in the opener.
The Celtics put outside shooter Sam Hauser in the opening day lineup, as well as big man Neemias Queta for length on the inside. Anfernee Simons is an exciting new piece. The 26-year-old guard had 13 points off the bench, and his role is expected to grow through the season. Xavier Tillman and Chris Boucher added strength and rebounding off the pine.
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Injury Report:
Out: Jayson Tatum, Luke Garza
Knicks Open With a Win
The New York Knicks get their first two games of the season at home in the Garden, and have already taken advantage by taking down the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opener. Cleveland was without Darius Garland, but had the rest of their stars for opening night. It did not matter as New York held the lead for the majority of the game, holding off a late run to finally win by eight. In the game, New York was led by OG Anunoby with 24 points and 14 rebounds in the win.
Anunoby was an important piece in their successful season last year, and could be a key to their success if he can step into stardom. Brunson and Towns are their top two players, but Anunoby can shoot, rebound, defend, and handle the ball; he could help bring this team to the next level. Jalen Brunson was not far behind in scoring, as he finished with 23 points and five assists. Karl-Anthony Towns was a double-double machine last year and had another here as he finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Mikal Bridges was in the starting lineup; he got 16 points off the wing, while big man Ariel Hukporti started in the middle but only added two points. The Knicks plan on going deeper into their bench this season and will certainly give five more minutes to Miles McBride, who had 15 in the opening game as an outside shooter. Expect to see more of Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek throughout the season in the backcourt.
Injury Report:
Out: Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson
Questionable: Karl-Anthony Towns
Celtics vs. Knicks picks
Spread pick and prediction for Celtics vs. Knicks
- Celtics +6.5 (5 units)
Is it too early for a buy low/sell high bet? I don't think so, which is why I am taking the Celtics with 6.5 points here. The Knicks got banged up in game one of the season, as Anunoby and Towns are both on the injury report. They will likely play, but their injuries will impact their play, and the Knicks are already without Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson. The Celtics knew they would be without Tatum; they have been preparing for that all offseason, and still have a slew of outside shooters to carry their style of play to victories. Brunson is not a strong defender, and Josh Hart is out; the Celtics will have too much perimeter talent in this one. Brown is a difficult matchup, and the combo of Pritchard, White and Simons will be too much for the Knicks' defense. Take the points.
Take the Celtics with the points.
Over/Under Pick for Celtics vs. Knicks
- Over 228.5 (4 units)
The Celtics have a well set style of play, and Coach Mazzula is not changing anything with Tatum out of the lineup. The Celtics want to shoot threes, get them up early, and defend on the other end. The Celtics had plenty of options for who to start in Tatum's place, but they went with Hauser, which signifies that they are still going to look to shoot a high volume from deep. This speeds up the game and will also lead to long rebounds, which send the opposing team on offense in a hurry. Coach Thibodeau is gone, the Knicks will play faster, go deeper into their bench, and hit more overs.
Take the over.
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