The Boston Celtics (58-20) will visit the New York Knicks (50-28) in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The game will be broadcast live on TNT.
The Knicks are 1-point favorites over the Celtics on the spread (Knicks -1), with the over/under set at 222 total points. New York is a -120 favorite to win outright, while Boston is +100 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Celtics vs. Knicks predictions and NBA picks for Tuesday, April 8.
Celtics vs Knicks Prediction
My Knicks vs. Celtics best bet is on New York to cover the spread, with the best line currently available at Fanatics. But as always, make sure to shop for the best line using our live NBA odds page.
My Pick: Knicks -1
Celtics vs Knicks Odds, Picks, Spread
| Celtics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1 -110 | 222 -110o / -110u | +100 |
| Knicks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1 -110 | 222 -110o / -110u | -120 |
- Celtics vs. Knicks spread: Knicks -1
- Celtics vs. Knicks over/under: 222 total points
- Celtics vs. Knicks moneyline: Celtics +100, Knicks -120
- Celtics vs. Knicks best bet: Knicks -1 (-110)
Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks NBA Tuesday Preview
The Boston Celtics head to New York to face off against the Knicks on Tuesday night. The Knicks are trying to secure their first victory against either the Cavaliers or the Celtics after starting the season a collective 0-6 against them.
The Celtics have already ruled out Al Horford for this game while also listing Jaylen Brown (Questionable – Knee), Jrue Holiday (Probable – Shoulder), Kristaps Porzingis (Questionable – Illness), Jayson Tatum (Questionable – Ankle), and Derrick White (Probable – Toe) all on the injury report—essentially their entire starting lineup.
The Celtics are four losses behind the Cavs, and the only way they can be the 1-seed is if they win out and the Cavaliers lose out – essentially, they are locked into the 2-seed. Boston has no real reason to push their lineup here on the front-end of a back-to-back.
The Knicks listed both Jalen Brunson (ankle) and Deuce McBride (groin) as Probable for this game as well. This is not a back-to-back spot for New York so they may want to get Brunson a bit more reps before the Playoffs.
This is an interesting spot given the motivations. Both teams are essentially locked into their Playoff positioning because the only way the Knicks fall out of 3 is if they lose out and Indiana wins out. The only motivation New York truly has here is pride.
The toughest part for New York in these matchups is they struggle to match the 3 point volume. The Celtics take the most 3s per game by far while the Knicks take the fourth-fewest in terms of frequency, per Cleaning the Glass. Considering the Knicks do not defend the 3-ball well this makes it a difficult math problem.
Celtics vs Knicks Betting Predictions
This game matters more for New York from a motivational perspective than for Boston and I expect them to come out firing. However, the concern is that Boston's injury report makes this game difficult to bet into.
The primary consideration has to be that Boston knows their most likely second-round matchup is against the New York Knicks, and they may not want to show anything to them in this relatively meaningless game.
Given the motivations and the Knicks' more favorable schedule spot, I'll laying the points with the home team. For my same game parlay, I'll take Porzingis 2+ Three-Pointers Made, OG 15+ Points, and Hart 10+ Points.
Celtics vs Knicks Best Bet
- Knicks -1 (-110)
Celtics vs Knicks Parlay Picks
- Kristaps Porzingis 2+ Three-Pointers Made
- OG Anunoby 15+ Points
- Josh Hart 10+ Points
Parlay Payout: +165
Knicks vs. Celtics Betting Trends
