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This free NBA pick comes to us courteous of Johnny Detroit of PreGame.com. Get all your free NBA picks and game analyses daily at PreGame.com here.
The New York Knicks host the Boston Celtics in a game that will likely be very competitive. Between the Celtics playing for playoff seeding, and Nate Robinson playing against his old team, this game could be hotly contested. Boston is favored by 5.5 points, with a total of 208.5 points tonight. This Eastern Conference battle tips at 7:30 EDT.
New York is back home after a 5 game road trip that saw them go a paltry 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS. Many will question whether the Knicks are playing with any purpose this late in the season. After all, the Knicks are 27-49 SU and 35-40-1 ATS overall this season. Only 4 teams in the Eastern Conference have a worse record than New York does. Heck, some New York fans would prefer them to lose every game going forward as it gives them a better chance for a higher draft pick. One player who isn't quitting on this season is C David Lee. Lee averaged 24.6 PPG and 11.6 RPG during this recent road trip. For the season, Lee leads the team with 20.4 PPG and 11.9 RPG. The Knicks are 16-22 SU this season at home, including winners of 3 of their past 4 games SU. Unfortunately New York has only played 3 home games in nearly the past month. The Knicks are 8-9 ATS as the listed home underdog this season. For New York to win any games to end the season, they will have to
improve their defense. The Knicks have allowed their past 7 opponents to score at least 103 PTS.
The Knicks are 21-9 ATS in their last 30 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600%. The under is 6-0 in the Knicks last 6 games against the Eastern Conference. Guard Tracy McGrady is listed as Questionable with a knee issue. The always brittle star has disappointed since being traded to New York.
Boston is fighting hard down the stretch of the regular season, as they are trying to catch Atlanta for the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston is currently 48-28 SU and 31-43-2 ATS overall this season. The Celtics are 24-13 SU on the road this year, easily one of the best road teams in the NBA this season. To be more specific, Boston is 21-1 SU on the road in Atlantic Division play of late. The Celtics have already beaten the Knicks 3 times this season, so it's odd to see this spread be so low today. In the 3 other games this season, the Celtics were between a 9-10 point favorite. The Celtics come into tonight off a hard fought win over the Cavaliers, so some might think this is a letdown spot for Boston. That SU win over Cleveland snapped a 3 game SU losing streak. The Celtics have lost their past 4 games ATS as the listed favorite. All 5 starters average double digits for the Celtics this season, led by Paul Pierce. Pierce averages 18.2 PPG this season, including shooting 85% from the free throw line this season.
The Celtics are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games against a team with a losing home record. The under is 6-1 in the Celtics last 7 games as the listed road favorite. For one of the oldest teams in the NBA, the Celtics are quite healthy as they don't have anyone on their roster banged up.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 110-107 in favor of the Boston Celtics. The over 208.5 is the Total of the Day!
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
