Knicks vs. Celtics Game 2 prediction: NBA playoffs pick, odds, best bets
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change.
If anyone thinks the Boston Celtics are going to change their approach because they have learned a lesson, you are sorely mistaken.
Joe Mazzulla will not channel the Bart Simpson meme and repeatedly write on the chalkboard that his team should not shoot an obscene amount of 3-pointers.
Give the Knicks enormous credit for doing what they needed to do in Game 1, rallying from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter to stun the defending champs.
While being blown out, they showed resolve and resilience to avoid punting on the first game of a long series.
And perhaps more impressively, New York executed down the stretch and into overtime. That is what most stood out to me. The Knicks made the necessary plays in clutch moments, even when the game was tight on the road.
But I am not ready to think they will win the series. In fact, I believe Boston as a -300 series favorite has extreme value.
I do not think the Knicks will win more than one more game, so my favorite approach is Boston -1.5 games. That means the Celtics must win the series in five or six games for the wager to cash.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives the ball against Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) in the first quarter during game one of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
We all know that Boston shot 60 3-pointers in Game 1. Plus, 19 of their 20 shot attempts in the third quarter came from behind the arc. Additionally, 37 of their 49 attempts after halftime were from downtown. Jayson Tatum finished 4-of-15, Derrick White 5-of-16.
Those are all laughable and somewhat appalling statistics. However, if the Celtics merely made a few more, they win the game by double digits. I would argue that only making 15-of-60 for the game is more remarkable than the shot selection itself.
Like it or not, that is why the NBA has experienced such an extreme shift toward the 3-pointer.
Betting on the NBA?
Make no mistake. This was a collapse and outlier performance. I am backing Boston to bounce back in Game 2 in emphatic fashion. The health of Kristaps Porzingis is an unknown variable, but I expect the Celtics to play with urgency and win convincingly.
Oddsmakers understand the narrative and thus have applied a tax, given Boston is a 10.5-point favorite after only laying 8.5 points in Game 1.
My record in this Post section is 41-32-1 ATS and I am adding two more wagers.
I will take the Celtics -10.5 points and Boston -1.5 games in the series (Caesars Sportsbook).
BETS: Celtics -105 (-110) | Celtics -1.5 series (-120)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who currently serves as the Chief Content Officer for Only Players, a sports betting media company. Doug has over two decades of experience in the betting space, including spending 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He's also the rare personality who has documented success – 14th place in 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), two top-10 finishes in 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and also grabbed headlines with a $297K win on the 2021 NFL Draft.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
From Larry Bird to Sam Presti, here are 9 notable New England connections in the 2025 NBA Finals
Oklahoma City's head coach is from Leominster. Indiana's coach won a title as a reserve on the 1986 Celtics squad during his playing days. There are two Emerson College alums in the Oklahoma City front office. A former Celtics first-round pick hit eight 3-pointers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, helping the Pacers punch their ticket to this round. Advertisement From Attleboro to Concord, there are several Massachusetts high schools represented within the two organizations. Don't forget Celtics legend Larry Bird, who played 13 seasons in Boston and now serves as a consultant for the Pacers. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Here are nine people within the Pacers and Thunder organizations who have New England ties. Larry Bird, Pacers consultant New England connection: Boston Celtics Bird, who was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998 for his contributions as a Celtics player, is now with the Pacers as a consultant. He had previous stints as head coach and president of basketball operations for Indiana and The 6-foot-9-inch forward played his entire 13-year career with the Celtics and led them to three championships. Jim Boylen, Pacers assistant coach New England connection: University of Maine Advertisement Boylen, who has been coaching in either college or professional basketball for more than three decades, was an He was a member of the 1987 All-America East First Team along with Northeastern forward Reggie Lewis, who went on to star for the Celtics. Rick Carlisle, Pacers head coach New England connections: University of Maine, Boston Celtics Carlisle was a bench player on what was arguably the greatest Celtics team of all-time. The 1985-86 squad won 67 games and closed out the Houston Rockets in six games during the NBA Finals. Carlisle Carlisle played college basketball at the University of Maine before transferring to University of Virginia. The Celtics took him in the third round of the 1984 draft. Josh Corbeil, Pacers trainer New England connections: Attleboro High School, Boston University Corbeil has a bachelor's and a master's degree from Boston University. He has a doctorate in physical therapy from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. He interned with the Celtics for three seasons. He won the Mark Daigneault, Thunder head coach New England connections: Leominster High School, University of Connecticut, College of the Holy Cross After graduating from Leominster High School, Daigneault enrolled at UConn, where he was a student manager under Jim Calhoun. He spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Advertisement He Rob Hennigan, Thunder vice president of basketball operations New England connection : Worcester native, Emerson College Hennigan, who Fellow Emerson alum Sam Presti offered Hennigan an internship with the Spurs in 2004, and the pair worked together in Oklahoma City from 2008-2012. The Magic hired Hennigan as general manager in 2012, and he spent five seasons in Orlando before returning to work with Presti in Oklahoma City in 2017. Connor Johnson, Thunder assistant coach New England connection: Amherst College Aaron Nesmith, Pacers forward New England connection: Boston Celtics The Celtics picked Nesmith No. 14 overall in 2020. He struggled to get minutes in Boston during his first two seasons, and the Celtics sent him to Indiana in the Nesmith averaged twice as many minutes this season with the Pacers than he ever did with the Celtics. One of Indiana's top defenders, Nesmith also shot 43 percent from 3-point range this season. Advertisement Sam Presti, Thunder executive vice president & general manager New England connections: Concord-Carlisle High School, Emerson College alum Presti, the 2025 NBA Executive of the Year, is the architect of this Thunder team. Oklahoma City won a league-best 68 games during the regular season. He traded Paul George to the Clippers for eventual MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and five first-round picks. He drafted Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams. He traded for defensive stopper Alex Caruso. But, before all that, Presti grew up in Concord and attended Concord-Carlisle High School. He played college basketball at Emerson and Khari Thompson can be reached at
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How to watch French Open 2025 women's semifinals free: Live stream, schedule
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. Coco Gauff of the United States reacts while playing against Madison Keys of the United States in the quarter-final on Day Eleven of the French Open at Roland Garros The French Open semifinals begin today, June 5, with two matches in the women's bracket. Advertisement Coco Gauff, who plays in the second match of the morning, is the last American standing in either of the singles draws; yesterday, she defeated fellow American Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1 to reach the semifinals. However, Gauff dropped her first set of the tournament and overcame 10 double-faults in her match against Keys. In the semifinals, she'll face Loïs Boisson, a wild card entry for France who is currently ranked 361st. The first match of the day, airing at 9 a.m. ET, will be between No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and three-time defending French Open champion Iga Swiatek, who is ranked No. 5. Both players won their quarterfinal matchups in straight sets. Swiatek is now just two wins away from becoming the first woman to four-peat at Roland Garros. French Open TV schedule for June 5: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 5 Iga Świątek — 9 a.m. ET (TNT/truTV) Lois Boisson vs. No. 2 Coco Gauff — 10:30 a.m. ET (TNT/truTV) How to watch the French Open for free: If you don't have cable, you'll need a live TV streaming service to stream the French Open for free. One option we love is DIRECTV, which comes with five days free and starts at $59.99/month, with plenty of subscription options that include TNT and truTV. Advertisement DIRECTV Other ways to stream the French Open: You can also watch every match of the French Open on Max. Max starts at $9.99/month, but you can also subscribe to one of our favorite streaming bundles and get Max with Disney+ and Hulu for 16.99/month. MAX Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping and New York Post's streaming property, Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she's also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
What can the Boston Celtics learn from the Oklahoma City Thunder?
What can the Boston Celtics learn from the Oklahoma City Thunder? What can the Boston Celtics learn from the Oklahoma City Thunder? The Thunder are about to face off against the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and with a veritable haul of assets and a host of young players already on the roster, looking poised to contend for the short- and medium-term future. The Celtics, on the other hand, find themselves pondering major changes to their top-heavy roster in an offseason that arrived much earlier than expected, knocked out of the postseason in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals second round series they lost to the New York Knicks. The hosts of the CLNS Media "The Big Three NBA" podcast, A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis, took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk it over. Check it out below! If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network:
