Game: New York Knicks @ Boston Celtics
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Odds: Knicks +9, Celtics -9
Total: 221.5
The Boston Celtics are hoping to extend their winning streak to three games when they host the New York Knicks tonight. The team bounced back from their back-to-back losses to Minnesota and Philadelphia last week with a pair of wins on Friday and Saturday nights. Boston defeated Brooklyn 121-107 on Friday to snap that two-game losing streak, and then defeated Toronto 117-94 on Saturday. Boston’s home record now stands at 4-0 thanks to the victory over the Raptors.
This season, the Celtics and Knicks will play each other four times. Tonight’s game marks the second meeting of the season. On October 25, Boston won the first game of the season for both teams, 108-104. In that win, Kristaps Porzingis finished with 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. In the 2015 NBA Draft, the Knicks selected Porzingis with the fourth overall pick. In 2019, they traded him to Dallas and the Celtics acquired him this offseason.
The Knicks defeated Charlotte 129-107 on Sunday and play tonight without rest. So far this season, New York is 0-2 in games played on back-to-back days. With the win over the Hornets, New York’s winning streak now stands at three games.
The Knicks shot a season-high 54 percent from the field. RJ Barrett led the Knicks with 24 points. Julius Randle had 23 and Jalen Brunson added 20 to push the Knicks record this season to 5-4. New York held Charlotte to 46.8 percent shooting from the floor. Barrett leads New York in scoring with an average of 22.6 points per game. Brunson averages 22.2 points a game.
Boston’s victory over Toronto on Saturday included a season-high 60 points scored in the paint. Head coach Joe Mazzulla is happy with his team’s efforts. He was also impressed with his team’s defense against the Raptors. Boston prevented Toronto from scoring more than 25 points in each of the game’s last three quarters. Mazzulla pointed out that the Celtics defense starts with great shot selection on the offensive end. That keeps opponents out of transition.
Jayson Tatum leads the Celtics in scoring with 26.7 points per game. He’s also the team’s leading rebounder with 9.2 boards per game. Jaylen Brown averages 23.0 points a game and Porzingis adds 19.7. Boston is now 7-2 and one game behind Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference race. The Celtics are 5-1 SU in their last six games at home. They haven’t done well against the number when playing the Knicks at TD Garden. The Celtics are just 2-5 ATS in the last seven against New York at home.
The Knicks are 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS in their last six games. They’ve covered their last four straight, including wins over Charlotte and San Antonio as 10.5- and 9-point favorites, respectively. The Knicks are 6-2-1 ATS on the season and 3-1 ATS in road games so far.
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