NBA Playoffs Betting – Tuesday Picks – New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics
Before nba betting fans turn their attention to more basketball betting events this week, we have some more good NBA Playoff gambling matchups to pick on tap, and our man Lawrence weighs in with his picks for game 1 of the Knicks vs. Celtics. It’s time for our weekly Playoff hoops picks for NBA gambling action.
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KNICKS vs. CELTICS
Time: Tuesday 7 p.m. EST
Venue: TD Garden, Boston
Spread: Celtics -7
Over/Under: 193
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The Knicks let a big one get away on Sunday night. They let one more pigeon fly the coop, and this series is over. New York did, however, figure out a way to hang with the Celtics. The Knicks survived Carmelo Anthony’s early foul trouble and a questionable Anthony offensive foul call late in the fourth quarter, and still could have stolen Game 1.
Boston, meanwhile, resolved nothing in Game 1. The same issues – no Shaquille O’Neal, Ray Allen’s inability to get free, Rajon Rondo’s mental state – that were on the table before the series are still there. It took an unexpected boost from the previously calcified Jermaine O’Neal to keep Boston from being blown out on its home court.
But while the focus was on Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rondo in Game 1, tonight’s Game 2 is all about the expected absence of Chauncey Billups and his strained left knee. Without Billups’s experienced calm and ability to hit big shots, the Knicks become more of an iso team with Anthony and Stoudemire trying to create. No team in the league is better at stopping one- or two-man gangs than Boston is.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have to figure out how to get some kind of production out of their bench. Boston’s subs scored only 8 points in Game 1.
NBA Trends:
Over is 7-2-1 in NY last 10 Tue. games.
NY are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
NY are 35-16 ATS in their last 51 Tue. games.
BOS are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 Tue. games.
Under is 16-4-1 in BOS last 21 overall.
Under is 7-2 in BOS last 9 home games.
Over is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings in Boston.
The pick: The Celtics basically give bettors no reason to back them. They play long stretches in which they appear to coast, happy to kill clock with a 4- or 5-point lead. They let mediocre teams back in games.
While they are at their best when they run, they know that with an ancient starting five, fast-breaking teams can wear down as the playoffs continue. If Rondo gets it in his mind that he wants to walk the ball up the court, then the offense which struggles so much in half-court sets will continue to struggle.
Knicks +7 looks solid, especially with Garnett having his hands more than full with Stoudemire.
For a parlay play, Knicks +7 and the under.
Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling expert from Massachusetts.
