Last year, the Boston Celtics were a Bet on NBA version of Secretariat at the 1973 Belmont Stakes. Consider that Boston bolted out of the gate and was never threatened on the way to their 18th NBA championship. Now, the defending champions are clearly the class of the NBA. Hence it is understandable that Boston opened in the summer future market to repeat as NBA champions. At the onset of the season, Boston was the best team in the NBA. Also, they ranked with the Los Angeles Lakers as the Association’s biggest brand and legacy franchise.
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics NBA Betting Information
| Date and Time: | Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 7:30 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | TD Garden, Boston, MA |
| TV Coverage: | TNT |
| Betting Online Odds at SBG: | Click Here |
New York Knicks Team Overview
Last year, the New York Knicks were 50-32 straight up, 43-36-3 against the spread, and 37-45 over/under the total. New York was 2nd in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. New York was 14 games behind the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Overall, New York had NBA metrics of 19th for scoring offense, 20th for field goal percentage, 14th for 3-point field goal percentage, 16th for free throw percentage, and 5th for offensive rebounding. While on defense, the Knicks had NBA metrics of 2nd for scoring defense, 15th for field goal percentage permitted, 17th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 2nd for defensive rebounding. PG Jalen Brunson led New York with 28.7 points and 6.7 assists per game. In contrast, PF Julius Randle added 24.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest. Randle’s absence in the playoffs left a huge hole in the lineup. Now, he is with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In the playoffs, Brunson averaged 32.4 points and 7.5 assists per contest. Also, SG Donte DiVincenzo added 17.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in the first round. But he is also now with Minnesota. Head coach Tom Thibodeau is in the elite class of NBA bench bosses. Thibodeau is a 2-time NBA Coach of the Year. Previously, he led the Chicago Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals twice and proved to be a turnaround artist in Chicago, Minnesota, and New York.
Boston Celtics Team Overview
Last season, the Boston Celtics were 64-18 straight up, 41-36-5 against the spread, and 42-38-2 over/under the sportsbook total. Boston was 1st in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Boston was 14 games ahead of the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
In sum, Boston had NBA metrics of 2nd for scoring offense, 8th for field goal percentage, 2nd for 3-point field goal percentage, 7th for free throw percentage, and 2nd for offensive rebounding. In turn, defensively, the Celtics had NBA metrics of 5th for scoring defense, 2nd for field goal percentage permitted, 4th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 14th for defensive rebounding.
SF Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 26.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Initially, Tatum was the third overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft out of Duke. Tatum is a 5-time NBA All-Star and was on the ACC All-Freshman team for Duke. Also, he was a McDonald’s All-American and Gatorade National Player of the Year. Of great concern is that Tatum is questionable to play.
In sum, SG Jaylen Brown averaged 23.0 points per game. Brown was the third overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft out of California. He is a 3-time NBA All-Star and was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year at Cal. Brown was a McDonald’s All-American. In like manner to Tatum, Brown is questionable.
Overall, C Kristaps Porzingis averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Porzingis was the 4th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft out of Latvia. He was an NBA All-Star in 2018 and previously was a key asset on the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards. He is expected to miss the first half of the season due to foot surgery.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla took over on an interim basis for the 2022-23 season and has proven to be the right man for the job. Overall, he has a career record of 121-43.
Knicks at Celtics SBG Free Picks
In this situation, New York offers more Bet on NBA value. Boston’s lineup is not settled, and they will be overpriced with far too much casual sector support. New York’s defensive structure will be the difference.
Knicks at Celtics SBG Best Bet: New York Knicks and Under the Total.