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Knicks vs Celtics Odds and Picks

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in NBA Basketball

Updated Jan 16, 2021 · 8:39 PM PST

Jaylen Brown warming up
Jaylen Brown and the shorthanded Celtics seek their sixth straight win as they take on the Knicks. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire)
  • The Boston Celtics are 8-point home favorites against the New York Knicks on Sunday at TD Garden
  • The Celtics are on a five-game winning streak and the Knicks have lost five in a row
  • The odds, lines and spread for Knicks-Celtics can be found below with game analysis

The hottest and coldest teams in the Eastern Conference meet when the New York Knicks visit the Boston Celtics at 1pm ET Sunday at TD Garden.

The Celtics have won five games in a row and the Knicks have lost five straight. Those are the longest active streaks in the conference.

Boston has raised its record to 8-3 and won four straight games against the spread. The Knicks’ skid has dropped them to 5-8 and New York also have a five-game losing streak ATS.

Not surprisingly, the Celtics are sizable favorites.

Knicks vs Celtics Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
New York Knicks +265 +8 (-110) Over 212.5 (-110)
Boston Celtics -330 -8 (-110) Under 212.5 (-110)

Odds taken Jan. 16 from FanDuel

Celtics Show No Rust

The Celtics showed no ill effect from having their three previous games postponed because of COVID-19 concerns as they rolled to a 124-97 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Friday as four-point favorites.

The Celtics had not played in a week due to some players testing positive for the coronavirus and others being ruled out because of contact tracing.

Despite playing without leading scorer Jayson Tatum, who is averaging 26.9 points and 7.1 rebounds a game, the Celtics used their depth to their advantage. Coach Brad Stevens had 12 players cleared to play and none played more than 28 minutes and the Celtics got 66 points from their bench.

Tatum has also been declared out for Sunday along with starting center Robert Williams and reserve guard Carsen Edwards. All three sat out Friday because of health and safety protocols.

Jaylen Brown led six Celtics scorers in double figures with 21 points and had eight assists. He is scoring 26.3 points a game.

Semi Ojeleye added 18 points, Jeff Teague finished with 17 and rookie Payton Pritchard chipped in with 16.

Boston led 88-72 at the end of the third quarter then put the game away by scoring the first 13 points of the fourth period to extend its lead to 29 points.

Knicks’ Slide Continues

After losing their previous four games by an average of 16.3 points, the Knicks missed an opportunity to end their losing streak Friday when they lost 106-103 to the Cavaliers in Cleveland as two-point favorites.

The Knicks used a 16-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to move ahead 84-80. Though they eventually lost the lead, the Knicks were still in the game at the end.

The Knicks were down 98-97 with 1:16 left when RJ Barrett turned the ball over. Julius Randle then committed a clear path foul on the Cavaliers’ next possession and New York never got closer.

Randle had 28 points and six assists to lead the Knicks. That lifted his scoring average to a team-high 23.2 points.

Rookie guard Immanuel Quickley scored a season-high 23 points. He has 42 points in the last two games after averaging 5.7 points in his first seven games.

Barrett finished with 20 points.

Forward Reggie Bullock returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sore right hip. He had four points in 31 minutes, meaning he had just two more points than jersey numbers in a game earlier this season.

Familiar Foes

This will be the 479th game between the Celtics and Knicks, the most-frequent matchup in NBA history, though it will be the first meeting this season.

The series has been very one-sided lately. Boston has won five straight games against and 18 of the last 22.

The Celtics went 3-0 against the Knicks last season, winning by an average margin of 11.3 points. One of the victories came in Boston on Nov. 1, 2019 when the Celtics, despite being favored by nine points, slipped by 104-102 behind Kemba Walker’s 33 points.

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Walker has yet to play this season as he recovers from knee surgery. However, the Celtics have played well without him and should have no problem handling the slumping Knicks.

Pick: Celtics -8 (-110)

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