by James Q
Sunday, Mar 05, 2023NBA Basketball: New York Knicks VS Boston Celtics Pick and Predictions 03/05/2023
Game: 7:40 PM ET, Sunday, March 5th, 2023
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
TV: ESPN
Season Record
Knicks: 38-27, 5th place Eastern Conference
Celtics: 45-19, 2nd place Eastern Conference
Opening NBA odds at USA Sportsbooks
BetMGM: Point Spread: Celtics -5.5, O/U 226.5
PointsBet: Point Spread: Celtics -6, O/U 225.5
Fanduel: Point Spread: Celtics -6, O/U 226
Starting Five:
Knicks: PG Jalen Brunson (day to day), SG Quentin Grimes, SF RJ Barrett, PF Julius Randle, C Mitchell Robinson
Celtics: PG Marcus Smart, SG Jaylen Brown, SF Julius Randle, PF Al Horford, C Mike Muscala
Things are heating up in the Eastern Conference. After a long stretch of being in first place the Celtics have recently seen the Bucks take first place from them… and then the 3rd place Sixers beat the Bucks on the road… and then the 5th place Knicks and 4th place Cavs are hot on everyone’s heels with better rosters than they have had in years. We are in for a very interesting 2nd round of the Eastern Conference NBA playoffs… but since we have plenty of time before that?... We will have to determine a great betting opportunity for THIS GAME. The New York Knicks are 2-1 straight up against Boston this season with the last win coming just a few days ago in Madison Square Garden 109-94. The Celtics have been dominant for long stretches this season, but at the moment they have lost 2 of their last 4… Losing their last game to Brooklyn was a busted opportunity since the Bucks lost to the Sixers and they could have gotten first place back with a win. Let’s look at the trends and make a prediction.
The New York Knicks have won 9 of their last 10 games and are on a blistering 8-game winning streak. They have announced their arrival by going 8-1-1 ATS.. so they aren’t just winning… They are covering and dominating. They won their last game against the Miami Heat in Miami 122-120… which was a win against a small 1 point spread. In the win they got 43 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists from PF Julius Randle… a big game in a big moment. PG Jalen Brunson added 25 points & 8 assists. SG Quentin Grimes had a very quiet game with only 3 points… which seems to be part of the 2nd year player’s DNA… big game, quiet game, big game, quiet game… The knicks were bolstered by bench guard Isaiah Quickley who dropped 21 points in 22 minutes off the bench. These last bunch of games in the regular season will determine if Quentin gets to keep that starting job come playoff time… when the team will have no time for the occasional quiet game.
The Boston Celtics have won 7 of their last 10 games… Losing two of their last 4 games has been tragic… it allowed everyone to catch up to them. They went 6-4 ATS during that stretch. They lost their last game to the Brooklyn Nets after getting 35 from SG Jalen Brown and 22 from SF Jayson Tatum… The loss came from too many 6 point contributors like C Robert Williams III, PF Al Horford, and bench relief guard Sam Hauser… The stars need more out of their running mates. It’s odd that PF Blake Griffin DNP’ed when Horford was having such a pedestrian game?
Doc’s Sports is 31-18 in NBA picks the last 60 days for a profit of $11,000!! You should be following a handicapper all season long! Get Doc’s Sports picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. BigAl.com can help you with all your bets from NCAAF, NFL, MLB, NHL… get positive value from all your bets! Remember: winning a bet is way more fun than making a bet!
New York Knicks VS Boston Celtics Prediction
Our prediction for Sunday, March 5th is…. Celtics 118 - Knicks 117
Bet on the Knicks. The Celtics could still get the win, but Vegas has deemed this a 6 point matchup on most sites… That is too many points to spot a super hot Knicks team regardless of the potential Celtics win.
Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NBA Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com. Just click on Shop Picks for our Knicks/Celtics preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions. Get help with all your college football picks, National Football league, NCAA brackets, or any prop bets on your season schedule.
NBA Betting Trends
The Knicks are 8-1 ATS when playing 6 games ini 14 days this season.
The 11-2 ATS in the second half of the season, this season.
The Celtics are 1-14 ATS revenging a straight up loss vs opponent while a favorite this season.
Players To Watch
Knicks: PF Julius Randle. Julius has settled in nicely as one of the best and most consistent power forwards in the league. Not super flashy, just does the job and gets the Knicks a plethora of double doubles. Teamed with Brunson and Barrett the Knicks are getting the job done offensively. Defense needs to be Julius’s focus for this team to get the little more they need done.
Celtics: SF Jayson Tatum. Jayson won the all-star MVP… but his best performance of this season is the night in and night out greatness. The every game attention to high quality two way play is why the Celtics are flying so high. His last hurdle for an extraordinary year is to simply not go cold in the playoffs.
COACH
Knicks: Tom “Goat Man’s Bridge” Thibodaue
Celtics: Joe “Little Boy Blue” Mazzula
James Q
About the Author:
James Q. has been involved with sports and gambling his entire life. A former division 1 scholarship basketball player, James understands sports (and especially basketball) inside-and-out. Following his basketball playing days, James parlayed his gambling skills into a semi-pro poker career. James resides in Los Angeles, and especially loves the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers. And when he isn't betting on sports (and writing about it), James can be found performing stand-up comedy on the Sunset Strip.
