Knicks vs Celtics Game 2 Picks, Predictions, Player Props & Odds (May 7)

• The New York Knicks look to score another upset over the Celtics in Boston on Wednesday night
• The Knicks came back from a 20-point second-half deficit to take Game 1 on the road
• See the Knicks vs Celtics odds, picks, predictions, and player props for Game 2

After going 0-4 against their Atlantic Division rival in the regular season, the New York Knicks (56-33, 24-21 away, 45-43-1 ATS) finally secured a win over the Boston Celtics (65-23, 31-14 home, 41-46-1 ATS) in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal on Monday. Boston was in full control, leading by as many as 20 in the third quarter, but wound up on the wrong end of a 108-105 OT decision.

Boston was a heavy 9.5-point home favorites in Game 1 and the Game 2 Knicks vs Celtics odds favor the home team by even more.

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New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics Picks & Predictions

• Knicks moneyline (+410) at FanDuel
• Jalen Brunson over 25.5 points (-125) at DraftKings

The most insane part of Game 1 is that the Knicks were able to come all the way back from a 75-55 deficit without playing all that well. New York shot just 42.5% from the field and 54.8% from the free-throw line while finishing -10 in rebounding and +1 in turnovers. Jalen Brunson and company are now a perfect 4-0 on the road in the playoffs and thriving in hostile environments.

Boston’s ugly 15-of-60 performance from beyond the arc was wildly concerning. This isn’t a team that shoots particularly well from three (36.8% in the regular season, 34.6% in the playoffs) and yet they were content to hoist long jumpers on over 60% of their field-goal attempts.

Yes, the C’s are likely to connect at a higher clip in Game 2, but so are the Knicks. And Boston is unlikely to have such a large rebounding advantage in Game 2. The Knicks were a slightly better rebounding team throughout the regular season finishing 9th in the NBA with a 50.8 REB%, compared to Boston in 11th at 50.6 REB%.

There is value on the Knicks to win straight-up at +410, which amounts to just a 19.6% implied win probability.

I’m also going to bet Brunson to go over his total of 25.5 at DraftKings, which is a full point lower than any other sportsbook at the moment. Brunson has scored 29 or more points in six of seven postseason games to date, and averaged 26.8 PPG in four regular-season games against the C’s.

His field-goal attempts have skyrocketed from 18.5 per game in the regular season to 24.6 per game in the postseason. And that’s not anomalous. Last playoffs, he averaged an staggering 26.2 FGA per game while pouring in 32.4 PPG.

NYK vs BOS Player Props for Game 2

NBA player props from DraftKings on May 7.

Jayson Tatum (29.6 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 5.4 APG postseason), who 11 first-quarter points on Monday but finished the game with just 23 on an ugly 7-of-23 performances from the field, once again has the highest point total at 27.5, the same number he had in Game 1.

Curiously, Jalen Brunson (31.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 7.7 APG postseason), who had a game-high 29 points on 9-of-23 shooting on Monday, has seen his total drop two full points from 27.5 to 25.5 O/U, with the over slightly favored at -125.

Karl-Anthony Towns (18.9 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.4 APG postseason) has the highest rebound total at 10.5 O/U, down from 11.5 in Game 1, when he grabbed a team-high 13 boards.

Brunson has the highest assist total at 6.5 O/U. He had just five dimes and four turnovers in Game 1 but dished out at least seven assists in all six games against Detroit in round one.

NY Knicks vs BOS Celtics Game 2 Odds

The Knicks/Celtics point spread is 10.5 across the board. Most sportsbooks have the line at -110 both ways. Only ESPN Bet currently has a different price, listing the Knicks at -104 to cover as 10.5-point underdogs.

On the moneyline, the best Celtics price is -520 at DraftKings, while the longest odds on the Knicks to win straight-up are at FanDuel (+410).

There is a full one-point range in the game total. DraftKings is on the low end at 210.5 (-110 both ways), making it the best option for over bettors. FanDuel and bet365 both have the total at 221.5 (-110 both ways), making them the best books for under bettors.

The NBA public betting splits are all over the Knicks in Game 2. New York is getting 72% of ATS handle on 78% of ATS wagers. New York is also getting 69% of moneyline handle on just 48% of moneyline bets.

The public is hammering the under, as well, putting 95% of handle and wagers on the under as of 11:30 am ET.

New York’s odds to win the series improved from +550 to +270 after winning Game 1 on the road. Boston remains the +200 second-favorite in the NBA championship odds with the Knicks a distant +2800 longshot, the worst odds of any of the eight remaining teams.