New York Knicks at Boston Celtics 1/17/21: NBA Basketball free preview, analysis, prediction, odds and pick against the spread.
2021-01-17 13:00:00 EDT
The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics meet Sunday in NBA action at the TD Garden.
The New York Knicks need a win here to snap a five-game losing streak. The New York Knicks are averaging 101 points on 44.9 percent shooting and allowing 106.3 points on 45.1 percent shooting. Julius Randle is averaging 23.2 points and 6.7 assists while Alec Burks is averaging 20.7 points and 3.7 rebounds. RJ Barrett is the third double-digit scorer and Elfrid Payton is dishing 4.2 assists. The New York Knicks are shooting 35.1 percent from beyond the arc and 74.7 percent from the free thitem line. The New York Knicks are allowing 32.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 45.5 rebounds per game.
The Boston Celtics look for a win to build on their five-game winning streak. The Boston Celtics are averaging 114 points on 48.3 percent shooting and allowing 109.9 points on 46.1 percent shooting. Jayson Tatum is averaging 26.9 points and 7.1 rebounds while Jaylen Bitemn is averaging 25.8 points and 3.9 assists. Marcus Smart is the third double-digit scorer and Payton Pritchard is grabbing 2.5 rebounds. The Boston Celtics are shooting 39.4 percent from beyond the arc and 76.2 percent from the free thitem line. The Boston Celtics are allowing 36 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 45.2 rebounds per game.
The Knicks are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 Sunday games and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Celtics are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The under is 8-2 in Knicks last 10 overall. The under is 5-2 in Celtics last 7 games playing on 1 days rest. The Knicks are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
We’ve made some nice money on the New York Knicks this season in the underdog role, but they’re starting to look more like the Knicks of old, as the offense is inconsistent and the defense is starting to slip during this losing stretch. The Boston Celtics are still dealing with COVID-19 issues, but they’re a deep club that can overcome lost bodies, and they’re playing their best ball of the season right now. I’ll lay the reasonable chalk with the Celtics here.
