New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics: Predictions, Starting Lineups (11/13/23)
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The New York Knicks (5-4) battle the Boston Celtics (7-2) this Monday (11/13/23). Get Knicks vs. Celtics moneyline and spread odds, as well as predictions, starting lineups, injuries, and key matchups below.
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics Prediction
Taking Boston to cover in the first quarter slashes New York’s huge bench advantage and essentially focuses the bet on the starters.
Across 114 minutes, the Holiday-White-Brown-Tatum-Porzingis lineup has outscored opponents by an impossible 41 points per 100 possessions. They are utterly dominating teams due to their superb fit on both sides of the ball.
Jrue Holiday and Derrick White form the most potent point-of-attack defensive duo in the NBA. They relentlessly navigate screens and play physical on-ball defense, so Brunson will find it difficult to drive past them. The Knicks star went 6/21 from the field in their October 25th matchup versus Boston, and Brunson will likely struggle again tonight. With Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum marking RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, New York’s other sources of self-created offense face an uphill climb too. They possess the size and length to contest shots and bother the Knicks.
Finally, Kristaps Porzingis is an excellent paint protector who ranked fifth in rim points saved per 75 possessions last year (per Basketball Index). The Knicks are a drive heavy team, so Porzingis’ rim protection will be a boon for Boston here.
On the other end, New York has surrendered the most made threes per game to opposing centers because Mitchell Robinson loves to play drop coverage. Porzingis’ shooting will shred Robinson’s defensive deficiencies through countless pick-and-pops; he went 5 for 9 from deep in their previous matchup.
Meanwhile, Tatum and Brown can slaughter the Knicks via drives if Robinson steps up to contest Porzingis. Tatum’s isolation scoring will torment Julius Randle too, who struggles to defend the perimeter on an island. Finally, Holiday and White provide deadly spacing against a New York squad that can be slow to rotate.
Overall, Boston’s starting lineup is on a historic pace, and they own the tools to exploit New York’s weaknesses. Taking the Celtics to comfortably win the first quarter is the best bet here.
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics Prediction: 1st Quarter Celtics -2.5
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New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics Best Odds
NYK @ BOS
Nov. 13, 6:30 PM
NYK
BOS
The Celtics are favored by a whopping 8.5 points despite New York owning a clean injury sheet. It may seem like an absurd line, but that’s how dominant the Celtics have been this season. The Knicks must win this game about 24 percent of the time for their +310 moneyline to be profitable in the long run. Otherwise, it has a negative expected value.
New York Knicks Starting Lineup
PG: Jalen Brunson
SG: Quentin Grimes
SF: RJ Barrett
PF: Julius Randle
C: Mitchell Robinson
Boston Celtics Starting Lineup
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Kristaps Porzingis
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics Injuries
Celtics reserve big man Neemias Queta is the only player on the injury report for either team. Both squads will be at full strength.
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics Key Matchups
Offensive Rebounds
The Knicks rank third in offensive rebound percentage and typically hoard extra possessions due to Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle’s positioning. However, they face a Boston team allowing the third lowest opponent offensive rebound percentage. If the Knicks cannot dominate the boards here, then they will have to produce a higher points per possession than the Celtics, which seems unlikely.
