New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson #11. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post A measuring stick matchup of epic proportions is on tap Thursday night as two Eastern Conference powers will meet at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks come in as -5.5 favorites for their home game against the Celtics, despite Boston opening as a -137 favorite on Kalshi early in the day on Wednesday.
The Celtics initially opened as favorites for this game, but the lines have moved dramatically to Knicks -5.5, signaling that they intend to sit key players.
The NBA continues to disappoint fans in this way: a marquee matchup with key players absent for reasons that aren’t directly injury-related.
This would have been a really fun matchup if the starters did play.
Boston is playing its best basketball of the season, and that’s shown in the odds, with the Celtics sitting as the clear East favorites (+170, FanDuel) for the playoffs.
The Celtics are among the best road teams in the NBA, with a wild 26-14 record (fourth best in basketball), while the Knicks are just as good at home, coming in at 28-9 at the Garden.
The Knicks have been dominant against the spread in home games this season. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post The Knicks have won three of the past four matchups between the teams, and we all remember that last year’s Knicks eliminated the Celtics in the playoffs.
Still, the Knicks have struggled against teams with winning records, going 1-5 in their past six games against teams above .500. That’s why they opened as underdogs.
Though it is the first time Jayson Tatum has faced the conference rivals, the Celtics are the trendy pick to go to the NBA Finals, but I’m not so sure that’s a lock, as the odds suggest.
The Knicks are 21-13 3-0 ATS as a home favorite, and they are in desperate need of a win against a legitimate contender like the Celtics.
THE PLAY: Knicks -5.5 (+100, bet365)
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
