NBA Betting – Wednesday 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 Monday Night NBA matchups on tap, and our man Lawrence weighs in with his picks for tonight. It’s time for our weekly hoops picks for NBA gambling action.
CLICK HERE TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT AT SPORTSBOOK.COM AND BET $50 ON THE HALF TIME LINE FOR TONIGHT’S NBA MATCHUPS!!!!!!
KNICKS vs. CELTICS
Time: Wednesday 8 p.m. EST
Venue: TD Garden, Boston
Spread: Celtics -2
Over/Under: 197
Click here for indepth NBA ATS Stats —>
Bet Now At Sportsbook.com —>
If you’re a member of the Von Wafer Fan Club, this game is for you.
Nothing will be at stake tonight when the Knicks and Celtics finish up their regular-season schedule. Both teams should be saving energy for this weekend, when the No. 3-seed Celtics and the 6-seed Knicks battle for keeps in the first round of the playoffs. With Boston limping and losing, this appears to be the one Eastern Conference playoff matchup that might be ripe for an upset.
There doesn’t figure to be much intensity tonight, though, as the two teams play a game only to comply with National Basketball Association rules. For Boston, that means a lot of minutes for Wafer, Avery Bradley, Carlos Arroyo and the hugely disappointing mid-season pickup Troy Murphy. New York figures to counter with its own shock troops – Shawne Williams, Derrick Brown and former Celtics Bill Walker and Shelden Williams.
Win and losses haven’t meant a lot to the Celtics for a few years as Boston prefers to heal up for the playoffs, but there is more than a little concern for a veteran team that has been able to win two games in a row only twice since early March. The Kendrick Perkins trade, made primarily because the Celtics weren’t willing to pay him $40 to $50 million over 4 years, seems to have taken a toll and forced the other four starters – Pierce, Rondo, Garnett and Allen – to adjust their games, especially on the defensive end.
The Celts are banking on the return of Shaquille O’Neal to give them a presence in the paint that they have missed since Perkins departed for Oklahoma City. But even if he’s ready to go against the Knicks this weekend, even ardent Celtics fans are wondering if he can withstand the rigors of a playoff series that could last two months and up to 28 games.
NBA Trends:
NY are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 vs. NBA Atlantic.
NY are 23-11-1 ATS in their last 35 road games.
Under is 16-4-1 in BOS last 21 overall.
BOS are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 Wed. games.
NY are 2-5-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings in Boston.
BEST BET: NY has injury concerns of its own as Amare Stoudemire continues to rehab an injured ankle. He hasn’t played in a week, but is expected to be back for the playoff opener.
Boston coach Doc Rivers, meanwhile, is caught between getting his team out of its funk and headed in the right direction, or sitting out his starters for most of this game and keeping their legs fresh for the playoff opener. Under is the play here, as the sides have too many imponderables.
Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling expert from Massachusetts.
