Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks Game 4 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
The Knicks shocked the NBA by beating defending champion Boston twice on the road to open this series, but the Celtics battled back for a commanding 115-93 win in Game 3. Can Boston tie the series on Monday, or will New York gain a 3-1 series stranglehold?
The Celtics are 6.5-point favourites to win Game 4 on the NBA odds, with the total pegged at 208.5.
Celtics vs. Knicks NBA Betting Odds
While the Knicks won the first two games of this series at TD Garden, they have struggled at home in head-to-head action, dropping five straight against Boston when playing at Madison Square Garden. It’s also worth remembering that the Celtics swept the four-game regular season series.
Oddsmakers have absolutely no faith in the Knicks as Boston is a heavy -325 favourite to win the series on the NBA futures board despite trailing 2-1. The Knicks are +260 series underdogs, while the favoured exact series result is a Celtics win in seven games at +150. The biggest long shot is a New York win in five games at +1150.
If you’re looking for a longterm futures play, Boston currently has the second-shortest odds to win the NBA championship at +225, trailing only OKC at +135. The Knicks are are +2000 to win the NBA championship, tied with Denver for the second-longest odds.
Boston Celtics
After two uncharacteristically poor performances, Boston answered the bell in Game 3. Payton Pritchard led the way with a team-high 23 points, while Jayson Tatum finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. The big difference in Game 3 was the Celtics’ 3-point shooting as they finished 20-for-40 from beyond the arc compared to just 25-for-100 combined in Games 1 and 2. Tatum and Prtichard each made five 3s. Success from the 3-point line looks like it will dictate this series. Boston set an NBA record for made 3s when they swept New York in the regular season and they had a playoff-record 45 missed 3s to start Game 1 in a loss.
New York Knicks
The Knicks fell behind quick in Game 3 and trailed by 25 points at halftime. New York struggled to generate offence outside of the duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Brunson put up a game-high 27 points and seven assists, while Towns had 21 points and 15 rebounds. The first three games of this series have been eerily similar to last year when the Knicks blew a 2-0 lead in the second round. It’s a familiar feeling for New York fans, who haven’t watched their team reach the conference finals since 2000.
BOS
NY