New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/05/2025

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Monday, May 5, 2025

Venue:  TD Garden, Boston, MA

Where to Watch:  TNT, MAX, truTV

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Knicks +8.5, Celtics -8.5; Over/Under:  213 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Knicks +8.5, Celtics -8.5; Over/Under:  213 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Knicks +8.5, Celtics -8.5; Over/Under:  212.5 points

New York Knicks:  51-31 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

Boston Celtics:  61-21 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

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New York Knicks:  5-5 last 10

Boston Celtics:  8-2 last 10

The Knicks are entering the playoffs with a 51-31 record overall this season and they were 24-17 in their road games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Detroit Pistons. Jalen Brunson led the team in points in that game with 40 while Mikal Bridges was next on the team with 25 points. Jalen Brunson led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Karl-Anthony Towns led the team in rebounds with 15. They were 47.7% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 111.7 PPG against them. The Knicks have an ATS record of 44-43-1 this season and their O/U record is 45-42-1.

The Celtics are entering the playoffs with a 61-21 record overall this season and they were 28-13 in their home games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with wins coming against the Orlando Magic twice in a row. Jayson Tatum led the team in points in that game with 35 while Jaylen Brown was next on the team with 23 points. Jayson Tatum led the team in assists in that game with 10 while Jayson Tatum led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 56.6% from the field, 54.2% from 3-point range, and 87.5% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 116.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 107.2 PPG against them. The Celtics have an ATS record of 41-45-1 this season and their O/U record is 40-47.

The current betting odds have the Celtics listed as an 8.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 1 of a 7 game series between the 2nd seeded Celtics and the 3rd seeded Knicks from the Eastern Conference for the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs. Both of these teams have had some rest on their side coming into this series, but the Celtics have a bit of an advantage in that area since they did play 1 less game. The Celtics are coming off a series win over the Magic in 5 games while the Knicks beat out the Pistons in 6 games. The Knicks were great on the road in that series as they won all 3 games played in Detroit, but overall, they didn't look great in the series. They struggled a lot to stay ahead of the Pistons whether it was at home or on the road and they did not look like the better team for a majority of that series. The Knicks took advantage of a young and inexperienced Pistons team to get through that round, but now they have to get through the defending champions. The Celtics dropped a game to the Magic in the 1st round in Orlando, but they won the other 4 games in the series, including all 3 games on their home court, and they looked like the much better team in most of those games too. That was a tough series for them with the way the Magic played defense, but the Knicks are not as good in that department so this is a better matchup for the Celtics. The Celtics have also crushed the Knicks all year in the regular season and the Knicks always fell flat in these big games against stronger opponents. The Celtics have the talent to blow this Knicks team out at home and they will be looking to set the tone in this 1st game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Celtics to cover the spread in this game. 

Knicks Celtics Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Monday, May 5, 2025 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Celtics 117 Knicks 104.

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New York Knicks: 13-21 ATS off an upset win as a road underdog. 8-17 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 70%). 4-9 1H ATS in the second round of the playoffs. 22-14 OVER in a road game where the total is 210 to 219.5.

Boston Celtics: 38-20 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 70%). 83-50 1H ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 92-59 1H ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 18-9 OVER in a home game where the total is 210 to 219.5. 

New York Knicks:  None.

Boston Celtics:  J. Holiday (PG) Day To Day - Hamstring.

“He’s at his best when his best is needed and he’s done it all year. That’s what makes him special.” - Tom Thibodeau after his team’s win against the Pistons in game 6 of that series on Thursday.

“You just have to find different ways. That’s what this series called for. Every series calls for different things. You have to be able to win in different ways on both sides of the ball.” - Joe Mazzulla after his team’s win against the Magic in game 5 of that series on Tuesday.

PG Jalen Brunson

SG Mikal Bridges

SF Josh Hart

PF OG Anunoby

C Karl-Anthony Towns

PG Derrick White

SG Payton Pritchard

SF Jaylen Brown

PF Jayson Tatum

C Kristaps Porzingis

PPG: J. Brunson (26)

APG: J. Brunson (7.3)

Reb/G: K. Towns (12.8)

PPG: J. Tatum (26.8)

APG: J. Tatum (6)

Reb/G: J. Tatum (8.7)

Coaches:

New York Knicks: Tom Thibodeau (5th season)

Boston Celtics: Joe Mazzulla (3rd season)