The Boston Celtics are hoping their recent hot play propels them to an Atlantic Division title after a red hot January. The New York Knicks, meanwhile, are looking to avoid a 12th consecutive loss. These teams collide on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden. Boston has won two of the three meetings this season and beaten the Knicks 11 of the last 15 times. New York is 4-18 at home and just traded away All-Star forward Kristaps Porzingis, but added Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews, who are unlikely to play Friday. Accordingly, the Celtics are 13-point road favorites in the latest Celtics vs. Knicks odds, down a half-point from the opener, while the over-under for total points scored is 215.5. You'll want to see what the SportsLine Projection Model is saying about the game before making any Celtics vs. Knicks picks on such a large spread.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, is crushing its NBA picks this season. It entered Week 16 of the 2018-19 NBA season with a sterling 187-136 record on all top-rated picks, returning over $4,000 to anybody following them. And it has been particularly red-hot on its A-rated NBA picks against the spread recently, entering Week 16 on a blistering 29-14 run. Anybody following it is up huge.
Now the model has dialed in on Celtics vs. Knicks. We can tell you it is leaning under, but it has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. That one is only available at SportsLine.
The model knows Boston gets a boost on Friday with the return of leading scorer Kyrie Irving (23.7 points per game), who missed the previous two outings with a left hip strain. Besides leading the team in scoring, Irving is tops in assists (6.9 per game) and steals (1.8). The Celtics have dominated Eastern Conference foes this year, going 23-10 straight-up, while the Knicks are 6-28 versus the East. Boston's suffocating defense also is limiting opponents to 105.6 points, fourth best in the league.
The Celtics are 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games versus teams like the Knicks who have a winning percentage below .400. Boston leads the all-time series, 292-182, and will likely go against a short-handed New York lineup following the Knicks' trade with Dallas.
But just because Boston is coming in hot doesn't mean it'll cover the Celtics vs. Knicks spread.
New York received some good news on the injury front, as Luke Kornet, the Knicks' second-leading shot blocker, will return from an ankle sprain. And despite New York's recent woes, several trends favor the Knicks. Boston is 0-4 against the spread in its last four games following a cover and the Celtics are 1-4 against the number in their last five road games. Meanwhile, the Knicks are around .500 against the spread as underdogs this season and versus teams with winning records.
Who wins Celtics vs. Knicks? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Celtics vs. Knicks spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $4,000 on its NBA picks this season, and find out.
