Filip Tomic
History is on the line for the New York Knicks as they look to eliminate the defending champion Boston Celtics and advance to their first Eastern Conference Finals since the 1999-2000 season. Tip-off for Game 6 is set for 8:00 pm ET on ESPN and I’ve come up with a Celtics vs Knicks Same Game Parlay at +418 odds for tonight’s huge clash at Madison Square Garden, featuring a pair of player prop bets and a money line pick. You can also find out the rest of our NBA picks for this matchup and every game throughout the playoffs.
Celtics ML (+128)
Payton Pritchard to score 15+ points (-118)
Mikal Bridges to record 4+ rebounds (-186)
Celtics vs Knicks Same Game Parlay odds: +418
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Boston Celtics ML over New York Knicks (+128)
If you ever had someone asking you what the phrase “Celtic Pride” meant, you should just show them Game 5 of this series. With their backs against the wall, without their best player Jayson Tatum, playing in front of a packed TD Garden, the Celtics refused to give up. They held the Knicks to a season-low 35.8% shooting, with the bench scoring a playoff-high 40 points. Derrick White also went off for 34 points, while Luka Kornet chipped in 10 points, 9 rebounds and 7 (yes, seven!) blocks off the bench. And now the fun part begins. Boston heads to MSG for Game 6 and they’ll be encouraged by the fact that they’ve already won once in New York in this series, plus during the regular season they were the best road team in the league.
I cannot even imagine the amount of pressure being on the Knicks in Friday’s game, as it’s the biggest basketball game New York has seen in decades. So, how will the Knicks respond? They have to move on quickly and just forget Game 5, as nothing went their way in the 2nd half of that game with the C’s outscoring them by 25 points. Jalen Brunson collected 5 fouls in the 3rd quarter, but more importantly, he once again tweaked his ankle on a post-up play against Al Horford. Knowing Brunson, I’m sure he will gut it out and play, but Game 6 is huge for New York and the rest of the Knicks better be ready.
It would be the most Knicks thing ever if they lost on Friday. Something tells me the Celtics aren’t done here, even though they’re playing without Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis is pretty much a non-factor. They’ve won 5 of 6 games at MSG. I’m rooting for a Game 7 in this series, so let’s go with Boston to win this one to start our Celtics vs Knicks Same Game Parlay.
Read our full Celtics vs Knicks Game 6 predictions
Payton Pritchard to score 15+ points (-118)
Game 5 of this series was the Luke Kornet game, so who is to say that Game 6 won’t be the Payton Pritchard game? The Sixth Man of the Year has saved the Celtics on so many occasions this season. He played in 80 games during the regular season averaging 14.3 points per game, which makes him one of the most consistent players in the entire NBA. In 10 postseason games, he’s cracked double-figures 7 times, and on Wednesday he took the most shots this postseason (17) and finished with 17 points with 5 threes made.
The injury to Tatum has opened up the door for someone else to contribute on the scoring front. At this point, even the most optimistic Celtics fan doesn’t expect anything from Porzingis, so it’ll be up to Derrick White, Jaylen Brown and Pritchard to step up here. Pritchard has scored more than 15 points in 4 of 10 games against the Knicks, and with him averaging 17.3 per game in the last 3 games of this series, I feel confident he can once again make an impact off the bench.
Mikal Bridges to record 4+ rebounds (-186)
Game 5 was a night to forget if you are Mikal Bridges. Despite logging 40 minutes, he finished with a measly 9 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. A stark contrast to Game 4 at MSG where he had 23, 7 and 3 plus 4 steals in 44 minutes played. He generally plays better in home games, as during the regular season he averaged more points, rebounds and assists at Madison Square Garden compared to road games. His rebounding numbers have been fairly consistent this postseason, as he’s averaging 5.3 boards per game in the last 10 outings while clearing this line 8 times.
Defenses could tighten up a bit here given the magnitude of this game, so I’m counting on Bridges to provide Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson with some help on the glass. The Celtics are giving up 53.3 rebounds per game in the last 3 games of this series, an increase of 1.2 per game compared to the regular season. Another 40+ minute game gives Bridges a solid opportunity to go over this line for the 9th time in 11 games and help cash our Celtics vs Knicks Same Game Parlay.
