The Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks continue their Second Round series in the Eastern Conference Playoffs in this Celtics vs. Knicks prediction. The Knicks hold a surprising 2-0 series lead as they head to play their first game in New York. In Game 2, the Knicks pulled out a 91-90 victory, winning outright as 10.5-point underdogs. Tipoff for Game 3 will be at 3:30 EST and can be found on ABC. See below for our Celtics vs. Knicks prediction, and check out all of our best NBA Picks!
Boston Needs a Win
The Boston Celtics find themselves in a position few thought they would be in, as they trail the Knicks 2-0 in the series after losing the first two games on their home floor. The three ball has not been falling for Boston, they shot 15-60 in the first game, and shot just 10-40 in Game 2. The 25.0% three point shooting is considerably under their season average of 36.8%. They will need to find a way to heat up from deep, or start attacking the basket more. In Game 2, Boston was led by Derrick White with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
White had an excellent game for Boston, but the Celtics hope he can be a role player who will periodically step up with big plays instead of being their best player on the floor. Jaylen Brown also had 20 points in Game 2, but shot just 8-23 from the field. Jayson Tatum will likely be First Team All NBA again this season, but he only finished Game 2 with 13 points on 5-19 shooting, including going 1-5 from deep. Tatum and Brown will be asked to lead the scoring load in Game 3, in a virtual must-win scenario for the Celtics. Jrue Holiday and Al Horford were the other two starters in Game 2, but had relatively quiet games as Holiday finished with 10 points and Horford had just four.
Kristaps Porzingis is still battling an illness, he came off the bench and scored just eight points in 14 minutes. His status or amount of playing time is still unclear for this game. Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet were the only other two Celtics to come off the bench. The Celtics rank 2nd in offensive efficiency and 5th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com.
Injury Report:
Game time decision: Kristaps Porzingis, Sam Hauser
Knicks are Comeback Kings
The New York Knicks trailed by 20 points in each of the first two games of this series, but came back to win both by a single possession. New York has shown fight in their comeback efforts, and has benefitted from the cold outside shooting of the Celtics. New York's perimeter defense has been a factor in their shooting, as OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart are all excellent wing defenders. In Game 2, New York was led in scoring by Josh Hart, who played 43 minutes and finished with 23 points.
Head Coach Tom Thibodeau relies heavily on his starters, as all five played more than 35 minutes in Game 2, with Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges rarely leaving the court as they played 43 of the 48 minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns was a beast inside for the Knicks, finishing with 21 points and 17 rebounds. Towns is taking advantage of the minutes without Porzingis on the floor, as Boston has been asked to play without their best-shot blocker for most of this series. Jalen Brunson runs the point and is ball-dominant when it comes to crunch time. Brunson is their leading scorer throughout the Playoffs with 29.4 PPG, and Towns is next up with 19.1 PPG.
Brunson had 17 points in Game 2, while Bridges chipped in 14. Anunoby had a quiet game with five points, but is arguably their best defender and has the size and quickness to stay with Tatum or Brown on the perimeter. Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride continue to get the most minutes off the bench. New York ranks 9th in offensive efficiency and 11th in defensive efficiency.
Injury Report: None listed
Best Bets for Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
This is a must-win for the Celtics, as no team in NBA history has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit and come back to win a series. Boston is only shooting 25.0% from three in this series, that is a number that will come up. They shot over 36% from deep in the regular season, and have a lineup strategically built to excel from the three-point line. New York's defense has something to do with this, but Boston also had their fair share of wide-open threes that they failed to connect on. Boston's defense showed up in Game 2, they held Brunson to 17 points after he was averaging over 30 PPG in the postseason up until that game. If the Knicks win this, the series is virtually over, and the Eastern Conference favorites will be on the road to elimination. Boston is too talented to lose three in a row to the Knicks after they swept them in the regular season. I'm betting on a big bounce-back game from Boston.
Take the Celtics to win and cover.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Game 3 in Madison Square Garden does not sound like a game that will be a high-scoring shootout. This will be a physical battle, with the defenses stepping up yet again. The teams only combined to score 181 points in Game 2, and with this spread still sitting relatively low at 204.5, you can count on the under hitting again. If the Celtics can manage to get another big lead, expect them to play smarter, and stop launching so many unnecessary three-point attempts. If the Celtics get up on the road, expect a more conservative approach, using up some clock and getting to the basket more frequently. The Knicks will go seven or eight deep, but only the starters play heavy minutes, which is why they cannot play at a consistently fast pace. Game 2 went way under the total, and so will Game 3.
Take the under.
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