All eyes of the NBA world turn to Madison Square Garden for Game 6 between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks tonight.
The defending NBA champs trail the Knicks 3-2 in a series that has multiple storylines, most notably the serious injury to Celtics star Jayson Tatum. The Pacers await the winner in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston is the underdog for just the fourth time all season. Can the champs stave off elimination? Or do the Knicks have what it takes to get over the hump?
Celtics vs. Knicks Game 6 Odds
New York is a 2.5-point favorite for Game 6 with the total around 210. It’s the fourth time Boston has been underdogs this season and the first time since April 9 when they rested everyone in a game in Orlando.
Boston is 1-2 as underdogs straight up.
In the playoffs, Boston is 5-5 against the spread and 5-4-1 over/under, New York is 7-4 against the spread in the playoffs and 5-5-1 over/under. Road teams are 3-2 in this series, and the Celtics are 10-2 in games without Tatum.
The Knicks have won their last 12 games as favorites against Atlantic Division teams, while the Celtics have failed to cover the spread in each of their last four road games after a victory. Prop bet alert - the Knicks have won the first quarter moneyline in 18 of their last 24 games.
Score $150 in bonus bets for the NBA Playoffs with the latest bet365 bonus code offer.
Celtics vs. Knicks Game 6 Preview
In this series, the average margin of victory is 11.8 points, and the average total is 215. Boston has led at halftime in its last seven games at Madison Square Garden.
We all know what this game depends on. The biggest factor is how well Boston shoots from outside. Losing Tatum is a big deal, but Derrick White stepped up in the Game 5 win and has averaged 22.6 points this series and is shooting 42.8 percent from three.
Boston also got a big boost inside in Game 5 from Luke Kornet, who had 10 points and seven blocks while Kristaps Porzingis is struggling with some sort of illness.
The Celtics have made more threes than the Knicks in four of the five games. Who’s the wild card for the Knicks? Offensively, it’s OG Anunoby, who had 20 points in the Game 4 win, but only six in Game 5. When he is producing offensively, New York is a tough out.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has become a superstar in these playoffs (if he wasn’t already), but at home, he scores less than he does on the road by a basket (27 to 25 points).
Celtics vs. Knicks Game 6 Prediction
This has been a great series. New York stunned everyone with two fourth-quarter comebacks in Games 1 and 2. Remember, Boston had swept them in the regular season.
Then Tatum gets hurt and everyone thinks Boston is done, but the Celtics play lights out in Game 5, and the Knicks are surprisingly passive. Brunson fouled out with 7 minutes left, and the Knicks were never really in it.
I’ve gone back and forth on this one a bunch. I love the Celtics as underdogs, but I think the Tatum injury catches up to them here. No way Brunson fouls out at MSG in the fourth quarter, and no way Luke Kornet has another big game for Boston. I’ll ride the Knicks to cover.
The Pick: Knicks -2.5 (-110 at BetMGM)