Celtics vs Knicks Picks, Predictions, Player Props & Best Odds (Game 6)
By Sascha Paruk in NBA Basketball
Published:
- The Boston Celtics face another must-win in Game 6 on the road against the New York Knicks
- On Wednesday, the C’s improved to 8-2 straight-up without Jayson Tatum this season
- See the Celtics vs Knicks picks, predictions, player props, and the best available odds for Game 6 on Friday
Still trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, the Boston Celtics (67-25, 34-10 away, 44-46-2 ATS) will try to stave off elimination once again on Friday night when they visit the New York Knicks (58-35, 29-17 home, 43-46-4 ATS) at Madison Square Garden in the lone NBA playoff game of the evening. The Knicks whiffed badly on their first chance to end the series in Game 5 – losing 127-102 in Beantown – but they are favored to end it on home court tonight. New York ranges from 2.5 to 3.5-point favorites in Friday’s NBA odds.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:10 pm ET on May 16 with ESPN providing the broadcast coverage. The winner of the Celtics/Knicks series will face the Indiana Pacers in the East Final of the 2025 NBA playoff bracket.
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Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks Picks & Prediction
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The Knicks have been anything but a sure-bet at home this season. That includes the regular season but has been even more pronounced in the playoffs, when they’re just 2-3 straight-up during the first two rounds.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have seen very little drop off in their play with Jayson Tatum (28.1 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 5.4 APG postseason) out of the lineup. They went 8-2 SU in the regular season in ten games sans Tatum (8-1 with Jaylen Brown) and both losses came on the road at Orlando. They upped that to 9-2 SU on Wednesday with a 25-point rout of the Knicks.
The Celtics have depth that would make any other GM in the league jealous. Derrick White showed why he would be a top-two option in almost any other offense in Game 5, dropping a game-high 34 points while shooting 56.3% from the field.
Boston’s interior defense was outstanding in Game 5, holding New York to just 33.3% shooting from inside the arc, and their rebounding didn’t take too big a hit with Tatum – who leads the team at 11.5 RPG in the playoffs – not in the lineup.
It’s all the more impressive that the Celtics were able to run away with Game 5 effectively without the services of center Kristaps Porzingis (). The 7’3 center has been battling a mystery illness all serious which has severely curtailed his minutes. He isn’t on the injury report for Game 6 but it’s wildly unclear how much he’ll be able to play on Friday night.
BOS Celtics vs NY Knicks Player Props (Game 6)
NBA player props from bet365 on May 16.
Jalen Brunson (29.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 7.8 APG postseason) has the highest total of the night, up two points from last game to 29.5. Brunson scored just 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting on Wednesday, dropping his scoring average for the series ot 26.8 PPG. He averaged 31.5 PPG in New York’s first-round series against Detroit.
Jaylen Brown (22.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.7 APG postseason) has the highest total on the Boston side for the second straight game at 25.5, same as Game 5. He squeaked over that number in Game 5, scoring 26 points on 9-of-17 from the floor.
Derrick White (19.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.7 APG postseason), who had a game-high 34 points on Wednesday, has seen his total increase from 18.5 to 20.5 PPG. White shot a season-high 11 free throws in Game 5, hitting nine. He was also 9-of-16 from the field and 7-of-13 from three.
Celtics vs Knicks Odds for Game 6
The Celtics/Knicks spread for Game 6 is 2.5 at most books but bettors can get Boston +3.5 at -122 at FanDuel. On the moneyline, the best price on a Celtics victory is +130 at Caesars, while bet365 has the longest odds on the Knicks to win at -140.
The game total has a one-point range. The best over option at the moment is 210.5 (-110) at BetMGM while the best under option is 211.5 (-110) at DraftKings.
Friday’s NBA public betting splits show the Knicks getting most of the attention: New York is sitting at 60% of moneyline handle on 58% of ML wagers, and 67% of ATS handle on 70% of ATS bets.
The public’s strongest stance, though, is on the game total, where 97% of money is on the over.
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Managing Editor
Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.
