NBA
Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks Odds, Tips and Prediction
Date: Saturday 8th February 2025 Start time: 7:30 pm local time (1:30 am BST) Venue: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York Last meeting: October 22, 2024, Boston Celtics 132-109 New York Knicks On Saturday night, the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics will face off in a prime-time showdown.
Jayson Tatum//Getty Images
On Saturday night, the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics will face off in a prime-time showdown. The second and the third seed in the Eastern Conference will battle it out at the iconic Madison Square Garden. Who will prevail, will the Knicks edge closer towards the second-seed place or will the Celtics extend the gap further?
SportsBoom has crafted an in-depth preview of this matchup, discussing key players who represent the Knicks and the Celtics. We will be offering our top betting picks and exploring the historical and recent matchups of this game.
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Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability
Boston Celtics: 4/11 (1.36) – 73%
New York Knicks: 15/8 (2.88) – 27%
Forecast odds – Betting available on Stake closer to event
Head-to-Head Record
The Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks matchup is one of the most historic in NBA history. In the regular season, both sides have played in 495 regular season games spanning over nine decades. The Celtics have truly dominated this fixture though, picking up 305 wins whereas the Knicks have an inferior 190. If you’re new to NBA betting, review our NBA betting rules to learn about money lines, spreads, and prop bets before betting on this high-stakes game.
The Celtics have won four of the last five meetings, but the one win that went in favour of New York was at Madison Square Garden. Could the Knicks replicate this result for this upcoming matchup?
Last Five Matches
| Season | Date | Result |
| 2024/25 Season | October 22, 2024 | Boston Celtics 132-109 New York Knicks |
| 2023/24 Season | April 11, 2024 | New York Knicks 118-109 Boston Celtics |
| 2023/24 Season | February 24, 2024 | Boston Celtics 116-102 New York Knicks |
| 2023/24 Season | December 8, 2024 | Boston Celtics 133-123 New York Knicks |
| 2023/24 Season | November 13, 2024 | Boston Celtics 114-98 New York Knicks |
How is the season so far for both teams?
Boston Celtics
- Record: 34-15
- Home Form: 16-9
- Road Form: 18-6
The reigning NBA champions the Boston Celtics are under threat from their opponents, the New York Knicks, for the second seed in the East. Both teams are separated by two games, but Boston will be within a shout to defend their title providing they keep most of their squad fit. Considering the impressive depth within the roster, the Celtics won’t mind where they end up in the regular season.
Firstly, the Celtics’ biggest star is unquestionably Jayson Tatum, who is the franchise leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He is in the minority when it comes to being the sole player to be the stat leader in nearly all departments within an organization’s roster. His scoring is slightly worse in comparison to previous years, but he is improving and recording his best numbers on defense and assists.
Jaylen Brown is another key component within the Celtics’ roster, playing 42 games so far this season. He is averaging 23.4 points and is the second-leading scorer in the team. The shooting guard is producing impressive output which could arguably be going under the radar considering Tatum’s qualities. Brown is on track to complete one of his better seasons in the NBA after averaging six rebounds per game.
New York Knicks
- Record: 32-17
- Home Form: 17-9
- Road Form: 15-8
The New York Knicks are only two games behind their opponents in the Eastern Conference, at the time of writing. A win for the Knicks sees the organization catchup but also puts the pressure on Boston for the upcoming fixtures. Can New York produce the goods on their home patch at the iconic Madison Square Garden?
New York’s starting five have collectively started at least 44 of their games this season together, with four of them playing 48 games. The Knicks have two key members at the forefront of their attack and in transitions for defending despite impressive scoring.
Jalen Brunson is the franchise’s leading scorer with 25.7 points per game, who is tenth overall in the NBA. In addition, he is eighth in the NBA thanks to posting an average of 7.5 assists per game, further providing evidence that he deserved the recent All-Star call-up.
Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 24.3 points per game for the organization. Though he was averaging higher in the earlier part of the season, this statistic is one to be proud of still considering his output in both offence and defense. Towns is averaging 13.6 rebounds per game too, with 10.5 arriving in defensive situations. Since moving from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the summer, he is showing what they are missing as he keeps on posting career-best numbers.
Value Bets
Jayson Tatum: Over 25 Points, Over 5 Assists and Over 5 Rebounds
Our first valued bet focuses on Jayson Tatum, who is displaying incredible form against the New York Knicks in his last ten games. Tatum is averaging 28.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists, impressive figures for the defending NBA champion. In the only game contested in the 2024/25 NBA season so far, he produced 10 assists, 4 rebounds and an impressive 37 points to boot.
Jalen Brunson: Over 20 Points
The New York Knicks need Jalen Brunson to maintain his recent performances against the Boston Celtics to try and prevail. Brunson is averaging 24.1 points per game, highlighting his scoring will play a factor in whether the Knicks can win on their home turf. Brunson only scored 22 in his previous game, but in the two games prior he posted 39 and 34 points, respectively. Without their star point guard, the Knicks will struggle.
Prediction: Boston Celtics to win
SportsBoom predicts the Boston Celtics to prevail, though this fixture should be one of the most exciting games of basketball this month. Both teams will see this game as a must-win to sustain a higher playoff seeding. The Celtics not only have the upper hand in the head-to-head but also have one of the best depth charts in the league and this game should help get them over the line.
Henry Cheal is a versatile freelance sports journalist with extensive experience in the industry. Henry has previously worked at the 2024 World Snooker Championship and earned a Multimedia Sports Journalism degree from UCFB in 2023.
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