Knicks vs. Celtics Prediction and Odds: C’s Look to Respond After Total Collapse

The New York Knicks will face the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals following a dramatic overtime win in Game 1 on Monday.

The Knicks went 0-7 against the Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the two top teams in the conference, during the regular season. They were down by 20 points in the third quarter of Monday’s contest but rallied to secure the win thanks to Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson’s heroics down the stretch.

Boston missed an NBA playoff record 45 three-pointers in Game 1 and relegated themselves to absent-minded, sloppy basketball after they roared out to their commanding lead. They’ve done an excellent job of responding to losses during the Joe Mazzulla era, but this series has already become more compelling than it was expected to be.

Here, I will break down the odds and share my favorite Knicks vs. Celtics betting picks for Game 2.

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Knicks vs. Celtics Betting Odds for Wednesday, May 7

The Knicks are 45-43-1 (51.1 percent) against the spread, 23-22 (51.1 percent) ATS on the road, and 9-11 (45 percent) ATS as an underdog.

The Celtics are 41-46-1 (47.1 percent) ATS, 20-25 (44.4 percent) ATS at home, and 40-43-1 (48.2 percent) ATS as a favorite.

Odds from BetMGM Sportsbook. Use our BetMGM promo code WSNSPORTS to get up to $1,500 in bonus bets*.

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Knicks vs. Celtics Prediction

New York Knicks Preview

Expectations were low for the Knicks, who were outplayed by the Detroit Pistons in Round 1 and should’ve at least seen a Game 7, had the referees done their jobs and called a foul on Tim Hardaway Jr. at the end of Game 4.

They also lost their four matchups with the Celtics by an average of 16.3 points, including losses of 23, 27, and 13 points.

The start to Game 1 was mostly what everyone expected—but while many teams would have collapsed, the Knicks stuck to their adjustments and group belief and prevailed.

One of the biggest changes the coaching staff made was to have Karl Anthony-Towns switch onto ball-handlers more to force them into more isolation-heavy possessions. 

The Knicks left a lot of meat on the bones on the glass as they were outrebounded 59-49 and gave up 19 offensive rebounds to their 12. That’s partly because the Celtics chose to hack-a-Mitchell Robinson, leading to him going 3-10 from the free-throw line and becoming virtually unplayable (three points, seven rebounds in 21 minutes).

The rebounding disparity was nullified by the performances from beyond the arc. Boston was a putrid 15-60 (25 percent), while New York was 17-37 (45.9 percent). The Knicks also won the fourth quarter and overtime by a combined score of 33-21.

Zooming out, the Knicks can take serious pride in their offensive efficiency late in the game. They had a tough start and only shot 42.5 percent from the floor and 54.8 percent from the free-throw line, but they finished with 17 threes and, most importantly, found a way to sink into their rhythm even after a poor start.

Considering that the Celtics had much more rest and that this game went into overtime, that was maybe the first sign that Tom Thibodeau’s methods of playing his starters heavy minutes could have a positive effect late in games instead of causing his players to burn out.

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Boston Celtics Preview

“Live and die by the three” is a phrase that’s often used in basketball, and especially when describing the Celtics. I object to that.

Do the Celtics take more threes than any team in NBA history? Yes. But why should that be some sort of signal to hit them with an overused mantra?

Did the team that took the most two-point attempts in NBA history live and die by the two? Did the team that took the most free-throws live and die by fouls?

The simple fact is that every team has a preferred method of attack, and the Celtics’ involves heavy three-point volume. 

Now, with all of that out of the way, what the Cetics did in Game 1 is NOT who they are. Their three-point attempts were heavily-contested, rushed shots, often against mismatches or when driving lanes were clearly available, and were a sign of either mental disengagement or blatant disrespect for the opponent.

The under-the-radar qualities that make the Celtics’ offense elite did not exist in Game 1. Back cuts, flashes to the lane, off-ball movement, mismatch post-ups, players showed no interest in making any of those happen.

The worst part is they were tremendous on the boards and played solid defense, even if they didn’t have an answer for Brunson down the stretch. Their silly offense is fixable, but only if the players are committed to making the necessary changes and have the same buy-in they did during their championship run a year ago. 

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Knicks vs. Celtics Betting Pick

• Knicks vs. Celtics pick: Celtics -10.5 (-110) at BetMGM

Anyone who watched the Celtics in Game 1 should have an all-time sour taste in their mouth. They completely resigned from trying to run an efficient offense and treat the matchup with any sort of respect, which rightfully led to their immediate downfall.

That said, the Celtics were still up by 20 points in the third quarter. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown likely will not shoot 1-8 from the field when defended by Towns, and this team probably won’t miss 45 threes in one game again (no promises).

The Knicks did their job. I still expect them to try and fight their way to a win, but I would bet on the Celtics covering the huge spread to curtail the Knicks’ momentum before the series heads to New York

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How to Watch Knicks vs. Celtics on 5/7/25

• When: Wednesday, May 7 @ 7:00 p.m. ET

• Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA

• TV: TNT/truTV/Max