The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks meet Wednesday in NBA action at Madison Square Garden. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

Boston Celtics Betting Preview 

The Boston Celtics look for another win after beating the 76ers in their preseason debut yesterday. The Celtics have split their last 8 preseason games. The Boston Celtics are averaging 114 points on 43.5 percent shooting and allowing 106 points on 41.1 percent shooting. Payton Pritchard is averaging 26 points and 2 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown is averaging 19 points and 1 assist. Kristaps Porzingis is the third double-digit scorer and Jayson Tatum is grabbing 10 rebounds. The Boston Celtics are shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc and 76.5 percent from the free throw line. The Boston Celtics are allowing 34.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 49 rebounds per game.

New York Knicks Betting Preview 

The New York Knicks won 47 games last year and enter the fourth season under coach Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks now look to make the playoffs in back to back seasons for the first time since 2012-13. The Knicks are pretty much the same team from a year ago, as they lost Derrick Rose and Obi Toppin and added Donte DiVincenzo. Nothing groundbreaking on either side for the Knicks. This club will continue to rely heavily on Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson. Getting Josh Hart for an entire season does help the Knicks, as he’s a glue guy who sparks the bench. The Knicks have a respectable squad that should make some noise in the East, but they’re probably a player away from being a legit threat to come out of the conference.

Randy’s Pick

The Boston Celtics have the better top end talent and that could be enough to get them over the edge. However, the Celtics also have a lot of moving parts, and it could take time to adjust. The New York Knicks are pretty much the team they were a year ago, a feisty, hard-nosed group eager to prove itself. At MSG, the Knicks will have a packed house hoping for a strong start to the season. Also, the Knicks have won 3 straight games against the Celtics. This could be a close, hard fought battle. Give me the Knicks and the free buckets.