The New York Knicks will host the Boston Celtics on Monday night at Madison Square Garden. This is Game 4 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET with Boston leading the series 2-1.
Boston ended the regular season at 61-21 and finished second in the East. New York was third with a 51-31 record. The Celtics have taken seven of the last ten matchups overall, including two of three games in this playoff series.
Knicks Preview – Need a Strong Response at Home
New York is trying to bounce back from a 22-point loss in Game 3. The offense struggled, making just 38% of their shots and going 9-for-33 from deep. Only Jalen Brunson scored more than 15 points, finishing with 27.
Karl-Anthony Towns had a double-double with 21 points and 15 rebounds, but he was just 5-for-18 from the field. OG Anunoby and Josh Hart combined to shoot 4-for-15. Mikal Bridges added 12 points but couldn’t get going late in the game.
The Knicks allow 111.1 points per game, 10th-best in the league. They are top-five in rebounds per game but allow opponents to shoot 47%, ranking 25th. At home, they are 28-17 straight up and 46-44-1 against the spread overall this season.
Celtics Preview – Can They Close Out Another Road Win?
Boston dominated Game 3 behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum led with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Brown added 19 points. Derrick White and Al Horford combined for 32 points on 12-for-19 shooting.
The Celtics are first in the league in both three-point makes (17.3) and attempts (47.2). They shoot 36.7% from three, which ranks 10th. They also lead the league in blocks (5.5 per game) and rank second in steals (7.2 per game).
Boston is 35-9 on the road this season. They’ve hit the moneyline in 19 of their last 22 away games. The Celtics have also been strong in the second quarter, hitting the 2Q game total under in 31 of their last 46 road games.
Betting Prediction
The Celtics come into this game with momentum and better team numbers on both ends. They are expected to be favored again, likely in the -4 to -5 range. Boston has covered in six of the last ten against New York and has won three of their last four visits to Madison Square Garden.
The total is also worth watching. The under has hit in two of the three playoff games in this series. Both teams have strong trends to the under, especially in the first half. Look for Boston to win and cover behind a strong defensive effort and balanced scoring.
Pick: Celtics -4
Going to take the Boston Celtics in this game. Take the Celtics to beat the Knicks on Monday! Enjoy the game and best of luck with all your NBA betting!
