Best Knicks vs. Celtics Player Props, ATS Bets: Boston Looks To Even Series
Mikal Bridges and the Knicks are once again heavy favorites vs. the Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday night.
Mikal Bridges and the Knicks are once again heavy favorites vs. the Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday night.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
When Indiana (4) took Game 1 of its second-round matchup with Cleveland (1) on Sunday night, that upset was expected to the be the exception to the rule, as higher seeds Boston (over New York), Oklahoma City (over Denver) and Minnesota (over Golden State) were all heavy favorites on Monday and Tuesday night.
But after the Knicks, Nuggets and Warriors joined Indiana in pulling Game 1 upsets, the Celtics have a chance to reassert themselves tonight at TD Garden.
Boston led Game 1 by as many as 20 points midway through the third quarter. But the Celtics' 3-point-heavy offense went cold down the stretch, and the Knicks outscored the C's 33-21 in the fourth quarter and OT to steal an improbable 108-105 win.
Boston's 15-for-60 (not a misprint) night from downtown sparked a ton of questions about whether it should look to take more shots from inside the arc. The Celtics will (probably) take fewer than 60 3-pointers tonight, but don't expect them to abandon the strategy that won them last year's Finals in dominant fashion.
Knicks vs. Celtics Series Winner Odds
DraftKings : NYK +270; BOS -340
: NYK +270; BOS -340 FanDuel: NYK +295; BOS -370
Knicks vs. Celtics Game 2 Betting Odds
DK FD bet365 NYK spread +10.5 (-110) +10.5 (-108) +10.5 (-115) BOS spread -10.5 (-110) -10.5 (-112) -10.5 (-105) NYK ML +380 +410 +400 BOS ML -500 -550 -550 Total 211 (o-110; u-110) 211.5 (o-108; u-112) 211.5 (o-110; u-110)
How to Watch Knicks vs. Celtics Game 2
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Channel: TNT/truTV/Max
Knicks vs. Celtics Game 2 Player Props
Jayson Tatum 30+ Points (+135 at bet365) -- 0.75 units
If there's one safe bet going into this game, it's that Tatum has heard he needs to be more aggressive going to the paint and drawing free throws. He took just eight of his 23 field-goal attempts from inside in Game 1. While he struggled on both his 2-pointers (3-for-8) and his 3-pointers (4-for-15), the biggest issue was that he took just seven free throws.
The good news for Tatum backers in Game 2 is that after drawing just four FTA in Game 1 vs. the Magic in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals (and missing Game 2 with a wrist injury), Tatum took at least 11 free-throws in each of Games 3, 4 and 5. Related: he finished those contests with 36, 37 and 35 points.
Against a New York defense that switched screens much more than usual, the 6-foot-8 Tatum had 10 FGA and 2 FTA in Game 1 while being defended by 6-foot-2 Jalen Brunson. He went just 3-for-8 on 3-pointers and 1-for-2 on 2-pointers in that matchup despite his massive size advantage.
If the Knicks continue to switch tonight and live with Brunson on Tatum, the six-time All-Star should post much numbers much closer to the ones that made him an All-Star this year (45 percent FG shooting, 34 percent 3-point shooting, 53.7 effective FG percentage) than what he produced in Game 1 (30.4 percent FG shooting, 26.7 3-point shooting, 39.1 effective FG percentage).
Assuming we see anything resembling the Tatum we saw during the regular season and in three of his four games vs. the Magic in the first round, 30 points feels well within reach in a game Boston badly needs to win to get back on track.
Knicks vs. Celtics Game 2 Pick, Best Bets
The Celtics have some questions to answer, especially if Kristaps Porzingis and/or Sam Hauser are out tonight. Still, law of averages alone is enough to like Boston to win this one after New York shot 17-for-37 from 3-point land in Game 1, while the Celtics (if you haven't heard) went just 15-for-60.
The question is whether the Celtics will cover the double-digit spread. That hardly feels like a slam-dunk, so let's go with Boston to start off strong (remember, this team led Game 1 61-45 at the half) and cover the first-half spread. I also like the over in a bounce-back night for the Celtics' offense.
Knicks vs. Celtics Game 2 Best Bets:
Celtics 1H -6.5 (-120 at DraftKings) -- 1 unit
Over 211 (-110 at DK) -- 1 unit
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