Celtics vs. Knicks, Warriors vs. Kings Betting Odds – February 3
Carrie Stroup here with your Celtics vs. Knicks and Warriors vs. Kings betting odds for February 3.
BOSTON CELTICS (16-30) at NEW YORK KNICKS (10-38)
Sportsbook.ag Line: New York pk, Total: 189.5 (place your 1st bet, get your 2nd bet free)
Two struggling Atlantic Division clubs, the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, clash at the famous Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
Boston is clearly in rebuild mode as they’ve started moving their veteran players for youth and draft picks, and as a result they have struggled to get victories, going just 3-7 SU (6-4 ATS) since January 14th. They weren’t the easiest games as the Celtics were considered at least five-point underdogs in all but two of the contests which included a six-game, west coast road trip where they were a solid 3-3 SU (5-1 ATS). Miami came into town as 3.5-point underdogs most recently and took down Boston 83-75 in a low scoring battle. The Celtics made a meager 30-of-81 shots (37% FG) in the loss and even did a poor job from the charity stripe (11-for-18).
The Knicks have had one of the worst starts in their history and held the worst record in the league for quite some time before getting SU victories in five of their last seven games (6-1 ATS). Over that period they won three of the contests while getting points and have now won four straight when playing at home. New York hosted the Lakers this Sunday afternoon in a matinee battle as three-point favorites and earned a decisive 92-80 win behind some incredible three-point shooting (10-for-22). They also stepped it up on defense, allowing L.A. to make a mere 27-of-76 shots (35.5% FG) as a team.
Boston has not earned too many wins on the road this year, going 7-15 SU (14-8 ATS) as the away team and will be going up against a Knicks team which is just 7-17 SU (8-16 ATS) at home. The one game played between these clubs this year went to the Knicks in a 101-95 game as they were getting 6.5 points on the road. New York made 49.5% of their shots in the rare victory and forced 17 turnovers in what was its third straight win in this matchup. They’ve averaged 110.3 PPG in the last three meetings with Boston and are 10-5 SU (9-6 ATS) overall in the past three seasons against their division rivals.
Some trends to watch include that the Celtics are a perfect 7-0 ATS this season in road games after failing to cover two of their past three ATS and the Knicks are a solid 11-2 ATS (85%) in home games after covering four of their past five games in the last three years.
On the injury front, SF Tayshaun Prince (Hip) is hoping to play in this one while C Kelly Olynyk (Ankle) will be sidelined until after the All-Star break. For New York, their big-man situation is dire as they could be without C Cole Aldrich (Calf), PF Amar’e Stoudemire (Ankle) and PF Travis Wear (Hip) who are all questionable.
The Celtics have actually been a solid offensive unit despite their lack of experience and are scoring 100.9 PPG (5th in Eastern Conference) behind 44.8% shooting as a team. Unfortunately it is their defense which has killed them, giving up 103.0 PPG (6th-worst in league) as opponents make 44.9% of their attempts.
PF Jared Sullinger (14.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG) has blossomed into a solid NBA starter, but has made just 17-of-51 shots (33.3% FG) in the past four contests. He was an absolute mess when his team was defeated by the Knicks earlier this year, missing all six of his field goal attempts as he put up a goose egg in the points column and added just four rebounds.
SG Avery Bradley (13.1 PPG) has scored double-digit points in each of the past seven games and has done a great job forcing turnovers recently, getting 1.6 SPG over his last five performances. He wasn’t able to go when these clubs last met but did a decent job (13.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG) in two games against New York last year.
SG Evan Turner (8.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.3 APG) has seen a much increased role since the departure of Rondo but hasn’t done much scoring of late with 23 total points in his last four games (5.8 PPG). He was on the court for 36 minutes in the loss against the Knicks back in mid-January, scoring 13 points but also committing five fouls and five turnovers.
New York puts little fear in their opponents with its offensive game, going for a putrid 92.7 PPG (3rd-worst in league) as it makes 43.9% of its field goal attempts (10th-worst in league). They haven’t done too much better on defense either, allowing the opposition to net 100.2 PPG (11th-worst in league) behind 45.8% shooting (9th-worst in league).
SF Carmelo Anthony (24.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG) has eclipsed 30 points in two of the last three games, both of which the team won, as he is coming off a great performance (31 points, 8 rebounds) on 13-of-25 shooting (52% FG) against the Lakers. He had a team-high 22 points to go with five rebounds, three blocks and a steal when these teams last met.
SG Tim Hardaway Jr. (11.3 PPG) is an all-or-nothing type of player and brought nothing against the Lakers on Sunday, hitting just 3-of-10 shots for eight points. He did have 16 points when he saw the Celtics a few weeks ago, but once again struggled with his shot (5-for-13) as he added five rebounds.
PG Langston Galloway (12.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG) has came out of nowhere to give this team a boost and despite making just 39% of his shots over the last five games, he’s gotten double-digit points four times and has played at least 30 minutes in each contest. He was not yet with the team when they last played Boston.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (37-8) at SACRAMENTO KINGS (17-29)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Golden State -9.5, Total: 218
The Kings look to win their second straight game when they host the Warriors on Tuesday.
Golden State is coming off of a solid 106-87 victory as 10.5-point home favorites over the Suns on Saturday. The win snapped a two-game SU losing streak and a three-game ATS losing streak. The team has won six of its last eight games SU and is 5-3 ATS in those contests. Defensively the Warriors have struggled, allowing 105.8 PPG over their past six games.
Meanwhile, the Kings snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 99-94 win-and-cover over the Pacers in Indiana on Saturday. They’ve struggled offensively though, averaging just 97.7 PPG over their past six games. They’ve also allowed their opponents to shoot over 45% from the field in six of their past eight contests.
These two teams played one another on Jan. 23, when the Warriors won 126-101 as 15.5-point favorites in Golden State. They’ve now won-and-covered in all three games they’ve played against the Kings this season, and they have also won seven straight games overall against Sacramento. Golden State has won-and-covered in its past two trips to Sacramento and they’ve won three straight SU as well. The last time the Kings beat the Warriors at Sleep Train Arena was Dec. 19, 2012.
Golden State is 21-7 ATS after scoring 105 points or more this season and will be up against a Sacramento team that is 0-14 ATS after having lost six or seven of its last eight games this season. The Kings are 33-17 ATS as home underdogs of 6.5 to nine points since 1996. C Festus Ezeli (Ankle) is out indefinitely for the Warriors and PF Eric Moreland (Shoulder) is out for the season for the Kings.
The Warriors finally hit something of a rough patch for their standards, losing two straight games before a 106-87 victory over the Suns on Saturday. Now they’ll be facing the Kings in Sacramento, and SG Klay Thompson (22.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.0 APG) will be chomping at the bit to get this one started. The last time Thompson faced the Kings was on Jan. 23, when he poured in 52 points (16-for-25 FG, 11-for-15 3PT, 9-for-10 FT) in just 33 minutes. Thompson broke an NBA record for points scored in a quarter, ending the third with an outrageous 37 points. He also had five assists, four steals and two blocks in the game.
PG Stephen Curry (23.0 PPG, 8.1 APG, 4.7 RPG, 2.1 SPG) has picked up his play since scoring just 10 points with 11 assists in that win over Sacramento. In the four games since that victory, Curry is averaging 25.0 PPG, 8.3 APG and 2.5 SPG for Golden State. He should be able to light up the Kings, as they are relatively weak at the point guard position.
SF Draymond Green (11.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.4 BPG) does it all for Golden State, but he has struggled with his shot recently (35% FG, 28% 3PT over past five games). The Warriors will need him to start knocking down shots, but his ability to do the little things will keep him on the floor regardless.
C Andrew Bogut (6.6 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.8 BPG) will have to be ready to play some extra minutes in this game. He’ll be going up against C DeMarcus Cousins (23.6 PPG, 12.6 RPG, 1.6 BPG) and if he is not moving well, the Kings’ big man will absolutely destroy him.
The Kings finally snapped a dreadful eight-game losing streak in a victory over the Pacers in their last game, and they’ll now look to upset the Warriors in Sacramento.
DeMarcus Cousins had 20 points, 19 rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes before fouling out in the Kings’ win over the Pacers on Saturday. He had 28 points and 11 rebounds the last time his team faced Golden State, and he’ll need help from his teammates if they are going to pull off this improbable victory.
SF Rudy Gay (20.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.0 APG) has been on a tear since finishing with zero points in 13 minutes in a loss to the Warriors on Jan. 23. He was ejected from that game after picking up two technical fouls in the first half, but he’s now averaging 24.3 PPG in the three games since. Gay will need to provide the Kings with some offense, as they put way too much pressure on Cousins to perform at an elite level every single night.
PG Darren Collison (16.3 PPG, 5.7 APG, 1.5 SPG) had 23 points, five assists and five rebounds in a win over the Pacers on Saturday. He’ll now need to hold his own in a matchup with Stephen Curry and he actually was able to do that last game, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes in the loss. He’s averaging 15.0 PPG, 5.7 APG and 3.3 SPG in three games against the Warriors this year, so he should be able to play a solid game at home in this one.
SG Ben McLemore (11.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG) will need to find some sort of offensive consistency for this team to start winning more games. He’s averaging just 7.0 PPG in 31.5 MPG over the last two contests and the Kings really need him to be a guy they can rely on to score in double digits every night.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
