At the onset of their series, the Boston Celtics opened as heavy NBA betting favorites agaisnt the New York Knicks in the second round. First-round action saw Boston rout the Orlando Magic 4-1. By contrast, the Knicks needed six games to eliminate the Detroit Pistons. The Knicks and Celtics are an ancient NBA rivalry that intensified in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This series will draw massive interest and betting action. Boston is the defending NBA champion, and New York has shown improvement to emerge as a serious contender.
2025 NBA Playoffs Second Round Matchup: Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks
| Date and Time: | Monday, May 5, 2025, 7 PM ET. |
|---|---|
| Location: | TD Garden, Boston, MA. |
| TV Coverage: | TNT/truTV/Max |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Knicks | +9 -105 | 212½ -110 | +334 |  |
| Boston Celtics | -9 -115 | 212½ -110 | -425 | |
| ||||
Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks Series Schedule
- Game 1: Knicks at Celtics | Mon., May 5 (7 ET, TNT)
- Game 2: Knicks at Celtics | Wed., May 7 (7 ET, TNT)
- Game 3: Celtics at Knicks | Sat., May 10 (TBD, ABC)
- Game 4: Celtics at Knicks | Mon., May 12 (TBD, ESPN)
- Game 5*: Knicks at Celtics | Wed., May 14 (TBD, TNT)
- Game 6*: Celtics at Knicks | Fri., May 16 (TBD, ESPN)
- Game 7*: Knicks at Celtics | Mon., May 19 (8 ET, TNT)
* If necessary
Boston Celtics Overview
Overall, Boston’s sportsbook metrics were 8th for scoring offense, 19th for field goal percentage, 10th for 3-point field goal percentage, 6th for free throw percentage, and 8th for offensive rebounding. On defense, the Celtics’ metrics were 2nd for scoring defense, 2nd for field goal percentage permitted, 3rd for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 13th for defensive rebounding.
The Boston Celtics‘ final regular season record was 61-31 straight up, 38-43-1 against the spread, and 37-44-1 over/under the total. Boston was second in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, three games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
New York Knicks Overview
Overall, New York’s NBA metrics were 9th for scoring offense, 5th for field goal percentage, 8th for 3-point field goal percentage, 5th for free throw percentage, and 24th for offensive rebounding. On defense, the Knicks’ metrics were 10th for scoring defense, 25th for field goal percentage permitted, 26th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 4th for defensive rebounding.
The New York Knicks had a final regular season record of 51-31 straight up, 40-41-1 against the spread, and 41-40 over/under the NBA betting total. As a result, New York was 3rd in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. In the Eastern Conference playoff race, New York was 13 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Boston vs. New York Series Matchup
Late on Boston has covered six of its most recent eight games against the Knicks. Four of the last five meetings in this series went over the total.
At Boston, the Celtics got the cash in seven of their most recent ten games agaisnt the Knicks. Also, five of the last seven games in this series at Boston went over the total.
Meanwhile, in New York, Boston got the money in five of their latest six visits. The Knicks and Celtics went over the total in five of their most recent eight games at Madison Square Garden.
So far in the playoffs, Jayson Tatum leads the Celtics with 31.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Jaylen Brown adds 23 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for Boston.
Meanwhile, for New York, Jalen Brunson leads with 31.5 points and 8.2 assists per game in the playoffs. Karl-Anthony-Towns adds 19.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest.
Boston vs. New York SBG Free Picks
Although Boston is expensive, they are the better and deeper team.
Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks SBG Best Bet: Boston Celtics.