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Free NBA Picks New York Knicks: Season-Long Handicapping and Specialization 11/13/2023

by Spencer Toth - 11/13/2023

Free NBA picks New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics Jalen Brunson

The New York Knicks head over to the storied TD Garden, to take on the high-flying Boston Celtics. These longtime rivals always bring an extra level of intensity whenever they square off, and the betting opportunities on this game are endless. Doc Sports is the place to be for every New York Knicks game this season, with best bets given out on a nightly basis.

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On Wednesday night, the Knicks took down the San Antonio Spurs 126-105. Julius Randle put together his best game of the young season, scoring 23 points while chipping in 16 rebounds and 5 assists. New York was in control from the opening tip, holding a 17-point lead after the first quarter. They turned the ball over just 3 times, allowing them to lead the game from wire to wire.

From a betting perspective, we had a perfect night. A 10-point spread was daunting with Victor Wembanyama coming to town, but the Knicks easily got us the cover. Mitchell Robinson continued to dominate the glass, hauling in 12 rebounds, cashing the Over 10.5 prop on offer.

On Sunday night, the Knicks stretched the win streak to 3 games, with another dismantling over the Charlotte Hornets. Their third straight double-digit win has them confident they can give the Boston Celtics a run for their money, but it will be no easy task for them to string together a 4th consecutive victory against the 2022 Eastern Conference champions.

The Boston Celtics (7-2) welcome the New York Knicks (5-4) to town, and both franchises will be eager to keep their hot starts to the season going. The Celtics have one goal in mind, and that is to win an NBA championship. After finishing as the Eastern Conference’s second seed in back-to-back seasons, there is no doubt the Celtics can set themselves up for a deep playoff run.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continue to improve, and a reconfigured supporting cast has them confident in their upgraded squad. Tatum and Brown are leading the way, with 27.7 and 23.0 PPG, respectively, as they’ll look to add to the crowded silverware case in Boston as they hit their primes. In the offseason, Boston shipped out Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III, and Malcolm Brogdon in exchange for Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Holiday immediately upgrades the Celtics perimeter defense and will take some of the defensive responsibilities off Brown. The former Milwaukee Buck will consistently be matched up against the opposition's best guard, and his smart ball movement has him leading the Celtics with 5.9 Assists with just 1.9 Turnovers per game. The 28-year-old Porzingis will never live up to his pre-draft hype, but that doesn’t mean he cannot be a valuable member of the Celtics franchise. After losing Williams, the Celtics needed some paint protection, and Porzingis has averaged 1.6 Blocks per game, which is a team high. He can also shoot the ball from all 3 levels, chipping in 19.6 PPG in his young Celtics career.

While Boston has a loaded starting lineup featuring Brown, Tatum, Holiday, Porzingis, and Derrick White, their bench will prove to be their downfall over the course of an 82-game season. The Celtics have the third fewest bench points in the league, with Sam Hauser (9.3 PPG), Al Horford (5.3 PPG), and Payton Pritchard (4.7 PPG) leading the way. Compared to the Knicks, who are in the top half in bench points despite being in the bottom 5 in overall PPG, the Celtics will struggle to keep up. Immanuel Quickley is the early front runner for 6th man of the year, as he leads a deep Knicks bench with 15.3 PPG. The Knicks ability to push the pace with their second unit has allowed them to build double digit leads and never look back. With Julius Randle showing improvements after an early season slump, New York has shot themselves up the standings and could make a real charge for a Top 4 seed with a win over Boston.

I absolutely understand why the Celtics are favored at home in this matchup, but a 9.5-point spread is a little extreme. The Celtics and Knicks squared off to open up the season, with Boston coming out on top 108-104. The Knicks went just 14/26 from the line, costing them the game. In Boston, I’ll happily scoop up the 9.5 free points, betting on another tight contest between these longtime foes. Boston certainly has the scoring abilities to run away with this one, but I don’t see the 3rd ranked defense Tom Thibodeau marches out letting this one get away from them. Two of their 4 meetings last year went to overtime, with 5 of the last 7 Celtic wins coming by single digits. These two teams love to play close games. And even if the Celtics pull out to an early lead, a deep Knicks roster will allow them to claw their way back and make this one a contest. The Knicks have yet to lose a game by double digits all season, and a tight defensive battle against Boston won’t be the first. Grab the free buckets.

Speaking of defense, I’ll be taking the Under tonight. Despite scoring just 212 points in their first meeting, the total is set all the way up at 222.5 points. Both of these teams roll out top 5 defensive units, and expecting a barn burner in Boston is a stretch of the imagination. The Knicks have held their opposition to double digit points in 4 of their last 7 games and have only seen their opponents top 107 points once this season. If they can hold the Celtics to Under 110 points, this Under will have a great shot at cashing.

It will be another well-rounded Knicks effort, and a small bet on the +320 moneyline is warranted. Mitchell Robinson has been an animal on the offensive glass, and those valuable extra possessions can tip the scales in the Knicks favor. They are truly looking like a team, with Randle and RJ Barrett rounding out a lethal ‘Big 3’ with Brunson, and after playing the Celtics tough in their first meeting, I certainly think they get a victory at least 25% of the time, making this a great value bet.

Pick: New York Knicks (+9.5) 3 Units

Pick: Knicks vs Celtics Under 222.5 2 Units

Pick: New York Knicks Moneyline +320 1 Unit

2023-24 Season record:

ML Record: 2-0

Spread Record: 3-2

Total Record: 1-2

Player Props Record: 3-5

Total: 9-9

Down 1.0 Units

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