The Boston Celtics (35-14, 18-5 Home), one of the league’s top scoring teams, welcome the New York Knicks (26-23, 14-10 Away) on Thursday. New York squeaked by the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-103 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. With 36 points and 13 rebounds, Julius Randle was a top performer.
The Knicks are the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston dropped a close one on Tuesday at FTX Arena, falling to the Miami Heat 98-95. Jayson Tatum had 31 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists in defeat, carrying the team.
The Celtics are first in the Eastern Conference, 4.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s the last meeting of the season between the teams. After taking the only previous season matchup against New York 133-118 at Madison Square Garden in November 2022, Boston will be aiming for a season sweep.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 30 points. Randle had 29 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort. The Knicks have been led this season by Randle and Jalen Brunson, who are averaging 24.6 and 22.3 points per game, respectively. Randle also has grabbed 10.9 rebounds per game, seventh-most in the NBA, while Brunson has dished 6.2 assists per game.
Tatum (31.0 ppg) and Brown (26.9) have supplied much of the Celts’ offense. Tatum ranks second in the NBA. Tatum also has collected 8.6 rebounds per game. Marcus Smart has tallied 7.2 assists per game.
The Celtics are one of the most explosive offenses in the league, ranking second with 117.6 points per game. The Knicks are 3-7 in their last 10 visits to TD Garden. Boston is pursuing an eighth straight win at home this season.
In the last 10 games, New York is 5-5 with an average margin of -1.2 (113.8-115.0). Boston has gone 8-2 over the last 10, scoring 113.4 points per game on average while allowing 108.4 (+5.0 margin).
KNICKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Mitchell Robinson: 11.5 | 17.1 | -5.6
Rebounds per game:
Julius Randle: 14.2 | 10.9 | +3.3
Mitchell Robinson: 5.0 | 8.9 | -3.9
Assists per game:
Julius Randle: 6.0 | 4.0 | +2.0
CELTICS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Rebounds per game:
Jayson Tatum: 12.0 | 8.6 | +3.4
Assists per game:
Jayson Tatum: 6.3 | 4.4 | +1.8
Marcus Smart: 4.7 | 7.2 | -2.5
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Boston Celtics -8.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
