Atlantic Division foes will collide when the Boston Celtics (17-13) face off against the New York Knicks (14-17) at the TD Garden. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Sunday, Dec. 27 and can be seen on NBA, CNE and MSG.
The Celtics enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Pistons 99-93 on Saturday. Avery Bradley was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points on 6-for-14 shooting. The Knicks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their blowout 117-98 loss against the Hawks on Saturday. Jose Calderon had a good game for New York, registering eight points, eight assists, and four rebounds.
The Celtics come into this game 17-13 Straight Up (SU) and 17-12-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They find ways to win against the Atlantic, with a SU record of 3-2. ATS, however, they are only 2-3. The Celtics prevent teams from making three-pointers on the defensive end, ranking fourth in the league with a .323 opponent field-goal percentage from three-point range. Boston is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 19.4 points per game.
As for their opponent, the Knicks have a record of 18-13 ATS and 14-17 SU. Despite having a losing record against the Eastern Conference, New York is successful ATS in those games with a record of 12-8. The Knicks convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking second in the league at .809. The New York defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing a league-low .303 shooting from three-point range to its opponents.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between the divisional foes. Their previous game was a Celtics victory, bumping their SU record to 6-4 over the Knicks in their last 10 meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bos
Notes
Boston is 9-3-1 ATS in its last 13 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston’s last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Boston’s last 17 games when playing New York.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games when playing New York.
Boston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing New York.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Boston’s last 13 games when playing at home against New York.
Boston is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against New York.
Boston is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games when playing at home against New York.
Boston puts up an average of 103.2 points per game (ranked sixth). New York ranks 11th in points allowed per game with 99.5.
Boston and New York are well matched, ranking 12th in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Boston scores an average of 103.3 points per home game, while New York allows 101.2 points per away game on average.
The New York Knicks lost their last game by 19 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Boston Celtics are 4-2. New York is 1-3 in blowouts this season.
The Knicks have an even 9-9 record when they allow fewer than 100 points. When the Celtics score fewer than 100 points, they are 4-6.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Knicks are just 5-8 this season. Boston is a solid 13-7 when registering triple digits.
The Knicks have an offensive rating of 101.5 (ranked 21st), while the Celtics rank third for their defensive rating of 98.4.
The Boston Celtics average a field goal percentage of 43.6% this season. The New York Knicks have a losing record of 5-9 when opponents have a FG% of 43.6% or greater.
On average, Boston attempts 27.0 three pointers and New York attempts 22.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Celtics have a 12-10 record while the Knicks have a losing 3-6 record.
Boston has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.61 this season (ranked 11th), while New York ranks lower at 18th with an A/TO of 1.49.
The Celtics rank ninth in rebounds per game with 44.3, while the Knicks rank 12th with 44.1 per game.
The New York Knicks rank 13th in offensive rebounding, while the Boston Celtics rank 19th in defensive rebounding.
Boston is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 16.5% (ranked third). New York has an abysmal record of 2-6 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 16.5% or greater.
