Filip Tomic
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In what will already be their second encounter of the season, it’s the New York Knicks taking on the Boston Celtics tonight at TD Garden. Boston won the previous meeting by just 4 points, so we could be in for another exciting matchup. Tipoff is at 7:30 pm ET on NBA TV, and I have prepared a Same Game Parlay — which is available below.
I’d also encourage you to head over to our NBA predictions page for picks on the side and total for Monday’s 4-game slate.
Let’s dive into my Knicks vs Celtics SGP now!
NY Knicks ML (+315)
Julius Randle Over 18.5 Points (-128)
Kristaps Porzingis 2+ Made Threes (-270)
Same Game Parlay odds: +778
Knicks ML (+315)
The good thing about the Knicks is you can always count on their defense. They own the 2nd best defensive rating in the league and have been one of the more consistent teams on that end ever since hiring Tom Thibodeau. Boston is on a 2-game winning streak coming into this one, winning both of those games by double-digits vs Brooklyn and Toronto. However, over their last 4 the Celtics are just 2-2 SU and we have seen them have their issues against teams like Minnesota and Philadelphia.
The Knicks have been a tough nut to crack for the C’s. In the last 7 meetings at TD Garden, the Celtics have covered the spread just twice. The first meeting of the season was won by the Celtics 108-104, but the game was pretty much in the balance with 90 seconds left in the 4th quarter. I think it’s time someone finally takes down Boston in its own arena.
Check out my New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics predictions
Julius Randle Over 18.5 points (-128)
I’m encouraged by the recent play of Julius Randle, who has now scored 20+ points in 3 games in a row while also improving his efficiency from the floor. He always seems to do well against the Celtics for some reason — in the past 5 meetings he’s averaging 26.8 points and 9 rebounds per game, while making an average of 3.8 threes per game. Aside from Al Horford, the Celtics don’t really have a typical big man down low, so he will be able to bully his way on the inside — especially if Porzingis is the one trying to defend him. For his career, Randle is averaging 20.6 points per game in head-to-head meetings vs the Latvian, so I’m confident he can get to that number in tonight’s game.
Monday’s NBA mega parlay has +1266 odds
Kristaps Porzingis to record 2+ made 3s (-270)
It was a fairytale ending to KP’s homecoming at MSG in the first game of the season, as he torched his former squad for 30 points, including 5 threes made. That was the second game in a row vs New York in which he drained 5 3s, and in the last 5 he is averaging an impressive 4 triples per game while making 50% of his attempts. He has cleared this line in all 5 of those games and has been in a good groove lately doing so in 3 of his last 4 games overall. The way the Knicks defend suits him really well as they like to clog up the paint, only 4 teams in the NBA allow fewer points in the paint against them. Defending the 3-point line has been a problem in road games. New York ranks in middle of the pack allowing teams to shoot 35.9% from 3-point territory. I think it’s safe to say we’ll see Porzingis hanging outside of the 3-point line quite a lot in this one.
