The Boston Celtics are favored to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals despite being down 2-1 to the New York Knicks in the second round – and for good reason.
Boston has held a 20-point lead in all three games in this series, and it held on for a massive 115-93 win in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Boston now has a chance to take back home court in Game 4 with another win, and it has looked like the better team for the majority of this series.
The Knicks, meanwhile, have put together some rough offensive showings in this series, and they are set as underdogs at home in Game 4. New York is just 1-3 straight up at home in the playoffs this season.
Boston squandered leads in Games 1 and 2 behind poor shooting performances, but it bounced back in Game 3 by going 20-for-40 from beyond the arc. Can the Knicks slow down the defending champs in Game 4?
Let’s take a look at the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my game prediction for this Eastern Conference showdown.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Moneyline
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Celtics Injury Report
Knicks Injury Report
Boston Celtics Best NBA Prop Bet
Derrick White has taken a ton of shots from the field in this series, attempting 18 in Game 1, 17 in Game 2 and 10 in Game 3. He’s scored at least 17 points in every game.
White is also taking a ton of shots from deep, averaging 11 shots from beyond the arc per game in this matchup. With Jayson Tatum struggling at times, the C’s have relied on White to pick up some slack on offense.
If he’s going to keep getting double-digit attempts from the field – and in some games from 3 – he’s hard to fade at this number.
New York Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet
Mikal Bridges has cleared 13.5 points just once in this series, but the Knicks need him more on offense if they want to win this series.
Bridges has taken 13, 18 and 10 shots in his first three games in the series, giving him a pretty solid floor when it comes to this market.
He’s shooting just 4-for-15 from beyond the arc, but the Knicks wing has played heavy minutes and gets time as the primary option on the ball when Jalen Brunson is out of the game.
He’s at least worth a look in this market in Game 4.
Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m backing Boston to win this game with ease:
After shooting the lights out in Game 3, Boston appears to have re-gained the support of oddsmakers, sitting as one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals and the favorite to win this series.
New York’s wins in Boston were impressive, but the Knicks relied on defense and Boston’s poor shot-making to get it done. So far in this series, the Knicks have been atrocious on offense, posting an offensive rating of 101.4, which would be the second-worst offensive rating of any team this postseason (only Memphis was worse).
That’s simply not going to get it done against this Boston team – even at home.
The Knicks have also struggled at home in the playoffs, going 1-3 straight up and against the spread. New York’s only win came in Game 1 against the Detroit Pistons, and the Knicks needed a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter to pick up that W.
Boston is 21-18-1 against the spread as a road favorite this season, and it has gone up by 20 or more points in every game in this series. I think the C’s easily even the series – and take control of it – on Monday night.
Pick: Celtics -6.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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