TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2010 – N.Y. Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
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Boston has been bad—even brutal—against NBA odds lately, but the Knicks might be the perfect medicine.
Team records:
New York: 19-36 SU, 24-31 ATS
Boston: 35-19 SU, 21-32-1 ATS
NBA odds: Celtics trying to snap funk against listless Knicks
New York is coming off a horrendous showing against Milwaukee and could be without recent trade pick-up Tracy McGrady. Here’s the ins and outs of tonight’s NBA betting matchup.
Matchup: Knicks at Celtics
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: TD Garden
Spread: Boston -10
Over/Under: 196
Boston’s 114-105 loss at Denver on Sunday snapped a three-game winning streak. Still, the Celtics (35-19, 21-32-1 ATS) have had a decent February, going 6-3 straight up. That’s not much consolation to NBA betting fans playing the lines, however, as the Celtics are a pitiful 3-6 against the spread during that stretch. Playing at home certainly isn’t going to change things—Boston is a pathetic 1-8-1 against the spread in its last 10 games at TD Garden.
The Celtics remain the NBA’s top defensive squad, allowing just 93.6 points per game. Their real problems originate on offense. The team sits 20th in the NBA at 98.5 points per game and Boston has failed to crack the 100-point mark in 15 of its past 17 games. That simply won’t cut it. Ray Allen has at least shown signs of improvement over the past three games by cranking out 23.3 points per night. He’s had an up-and-down season, however, and it’s doubtful he can sustain this pace for long.
The recently acquired Tracy McGrady hasn’t been able to stop New York’s seven-game losing streak. The Knicks (19-36, 24-31 ATS) have dropped 10 of their past 11 games and were horrific against Milwaukee on Monday, managing a pathetic 67 points. New York is 3-7 in its past 10 games against the spread. Playing on the road has produced exactly the same results, with the team going 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games away from home.
McGrady dropped 26 points in his Knicks debut against Oklahoma City but followed it up with just 15 versus the Bucks. He shot 5-14 and had a noticeable limp by the fourth quarter. He’s questionable for tonight’s game, which is nothing new for T-Mac. Even without McGrady, New York has produced a very productive offense this season, averaging 101.5 points per game (good for ninth in the NBA). It’s the other end of the floor where disaster strikes—the Knicks are 25th in the league by allowing 104.1 points per game.
When New York and Boston cross paths, it’s usually bad news for the Knicks—the Celtics are 9-1 straight up and 7-2-1 against the spread in their past 10 meetings with New York. The Knicks have managed to cover two of the past three.
THE PICK
The Celtics haven’t played well against the spread lately—and at home they’ve been positively awful. Mike D’Antoni will get the Knicks to bounce back from a horrendous showing in Milwaukee to at least play competitive basketball. Boston will pull away at the end, but not enough to cover. Bet on the Knicks.
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