Celtics vs. Knicks Picks & Odds: NBA Playoffs Game 3, 5/10

Well, it happened again. The New York Knicks pulled off yet another 20-point comeback over the defending champs to enter tonight’s game with a 2-0 series lead over the Boston Celtics. Now home at Madison Square Garden, we’ve broken down our best Celtics vs. Knicks predictions for Game 3.
Jrue Holiday came through for us in Game 2, so we’re back with another best bet from our Celtics vs. Knicks picks and how you can use it to snag a guaranteed Novig promo code bonus!
Celtics vs. Knicks Predictions For Tonight's NBA Playoffs Game 3, 5/10
That’s right - the Knicks didn’t just stun the Celtics, but they also did so on the road, with the series just now heading to MSG. It’s been just two games, yet an entire novel could be written about this series already.
Of course, all the talk has been about Boston blowing back-to-back 20-point leads with historically bad three-point shooting. After setting a record with 45 missed threes in Game 1, they’ve continued that by setting a two-game playoff span record with 75 missed shots from deep.
That’s been beaten to death, so perhaps what’s more interesting for many fans is how the odds to win the entire series have shifted. The Celtics were massive -900 favorites to do so prior to it tipping off, and now, the Knicks are slightly favored with -115 odds to do so. That’s interesting, both for New York fans to be excited and also for Boston, that it’s still almost a pick ‘em.
That’s for down the road, though - what about tonight’s game? Well, for the best bet from our Celtics vs. Knicks predictions, we’re going to be focusing on a player prop market after Jrue Holiday over 3.5 assists hit for us in Game 2.
Boston Celtics: There’s A First For Everything
Even with those aforementioned series odds, the Celtics are actually still favorites to win the entire Eastern Conference at a +160 price. That’s despite history being against them, as their record-breaking poor three-point shooting has made them the first defending champion in league history to start a series down 0-2 while at home.
It’s not just the start that plagues them as well. It’s also the trend that we’ve seen from defending champs in recent years. The past SIX of them have lost in the second round specifically! However, all six of them went at least six games, so there is still reason to believe that Boston can win tonight. They’ll need to if they want to become the team that bucks that trend.
New York Knicks: The Law Offices Of Brunson & Bridges
In case you haven’t heard - we know you have - Jalen Brunson continues to prove why he is the Clutch Player of the Year. He’s more than deserving of the award, and we’ve seen teammate Mikal Bridges step up in the biggest moments to help the Knicks take this rather shocking 2-0 series lead.
The highlight of his block on Jayson Tatum to secure Game 2 on Wednesday night has been replayed quite a bit, but let’s not forget that it was also Bridges who stole the ball away from Jaylen Brown to secure Game 1. On top of those clutch moments, Brunson & Bridges combined to score or assist on 25 of New York’s 30 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
Celtics vs. Knicks Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines
Boston may be on the road at MSG, but they’re still the clear favorites according to the latest Celtics vs. Knicks odds at Novig:
- Point Spread: Boston Celtics -5 (-102) vs. New York Knicks +5 (-118)
- Money Line: Boston Celtics (+385) vs. New York Knicks (-517)
- Game Total (Over/Under): Over 211.5 (-104) vs. Under 211.5 (-116)
Celtics vs. Knicks Best Bet: Jayson Tatum Over 3.5 Made Threes (+115 At Novig)
As mentioned, it was Jrue Holiday that came through for us in terms of our Celtics vs. Knicks predictions, and we’re sticking with the Boston side of things for Game 3 tonight. This time, the superstar everyone is talking about - Jayson Tatum.
Call it taking the bait if you want, but we still believe that he can silence the haters tonight. The pressure of the home crowd off his back should certainly help, and let’s discuss what all the concern has been about. It’s been about his no-shows in both the fourth quarter and in clutch time.
Ok, Tatum can hit four threes in the first quarter and call it a day. Even if the Celtics blow another 20-point lead, as hard as that is to fathom, we won’t mind either way. It’s also not as if Tatum hasn’t proven that he can dominate the Knicks.
During the regular season, not only did he average 33.5 points per game against New York, but he did so while also averaging 5.5 threes per game. He shot a remarkable 47.8% from deep in their season series, and while that may not sound sustainable, the Knicks had the fifth-worst three-point defense this year.
Therefore, it is far more likely to see Tatum back to his usual self than New York keeping up this pace. In other words, it’s a regression-to-the-mean situation. We aren’t taking anything away from Jalen Brunson and company, but we love Jayson Tatum over 3.5 made threes, especially with plus-money (+115) odds at Novig, as the best bet from our Celtics vs. Knicks predictions.
Celtics vs. Knicks Injury Report & Starting Lineup
Prior to Game 2, the biggest Celtics vs. Knicks injury news to monitor was that of Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis. We learned that it’s a conditioning issue, which means he’s available, but coming off the bench.
That is still subject to change, but until that is officially done, here are the expected Celtics vs. Knicks lineups for Game 3:
NY Knicks:
BOS Celtics:
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