Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks Prediction, 5/16/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks

Date: Sunday, May 16, 2021

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: ESPN

Madison Square Garden is the venue where and the New York Knicks (39-31) will take on the Boston Celtics (35-35) on Sunday.

The Boston Celtics faced the Cleveland Cavaliers and ended up losing by a score of 102-94 in their last contest. Boston ended the game having earned a 35.6% field goal percentage (36 of 101) and converted 12 of 41 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the Celtics converted 10 of their 14 attempts for a percentage of 71.4%. In the matter of hauling in boards, they collected 46 with 13 of them being offensive. They also recorded 14 dimes for the contest as well as forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and getting 9 steals. In terms of defending, Boston allowed 45.0% from the floor on 36 out of 80 shooting. Cleveland earned 27 assists and had 4 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Cleveland grabbed 55 rebounds (7 offensive, 48 defensive) and had 8 blocks. Cleveland finished the contest at 81.5% at the free throw line by converting 22 of their 27 attempts. They knocked down 8 out of their 24 shots from beyond the arc.

Jayson Tatum is one player who played a role for the game. He walked away with 29 points on 11 of 26 shooting. He was on the court for 35:03 minutes and collected 8 boards. Tatum walked away from this one shooting 42.3% from the floor and also recorded 1 assist. Another guy that was a factor in the matchup for the Celtics was Evan Fournier. He pulled down 4 rebounds in 34:19 min played. He walked away from this one shooting 30.0% from the floor in this matchup by going 6-of-20 (15 points). At the conclusion of this game, Fournier had accumulated 1 assist.

Boston comes into this contest with a record of 35-35 this year. They are turning it over 14.1 times per game and as a unit are committing 20.4 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Boston is snagging 44.2 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 1,643 assists on the campaign, which ranks 25th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Celtics are hitting 37.5% on shots from 3-point land (950 of 2,535) and 77.6% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 112.8 pts per contest (16th in the NBA) while hitting 46.7% from the field. On the defensive end, the Celtics are forcing their opponents into 14.2 turnovers every game while drawing 19.3 personal fouls. The Celtics are giving up a FG percentage of 46.6% (991 of 1,353) and they concede 42.4 rebounds per contest as a unit. They rank 9th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,694 relinquished for the year. They give up 37.7% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 12th in the league in PPG from their opponents (111.4).

The last time they took the court, the New York Knicks got the win with a final of 102-98 when they faced the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks snagged 38 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 48 for the contest. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while getting 7 steals for this contest. The Spurs had 16 fouls in the matchup which got the Knicks to the charity stripe for 18 attempts. They were able to convert 18 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 100.0%. When talking about shots from beyond the arc, New York converted 14 of their 35 tries (40.0%). In all, the Knicks finished shooting 35 out of 86 from the floor which gave them a rate of 40.7%. The Knicks permitted the Spurs to knock down 38 of 91 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 41.8% for this contest. They went 28.6% from distance by going 6 out of 21 and finished the game at 16 out of 19 from the charity stripe (84.2%). With respect to rebounds, New York permitted San Antonio to grab 47 overall (9 on the offensive glass).

Julius Randle ended up having an impact for the Knicks for this game. He converted 7 out of 21 in the game giving him a rate of 33.3%, and had 9 rebounds. Randle earned 25 points in his 44:53 mins of playing time and accounted for 9 assists in the matchup. An additional guy who came through for New York was RJ Barrett. He finished this one with 5 dimes in 40:54 mins on the hardwood, and he knocked down 8 out of 19 from the floor. Barrett ended up shooting 42.1% from the floor as well as notching 24 points and 9 rebounds.

New York has a mark of 39-31 for the campaign. As an offensive team, the Knicks are shooting 45.6% from the field, which is 22nd in the NBA. New York has earned 7,492 points on the season (107.0 per game) and they grab 45.1 boards per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 21.4 times per contest (29th in the NBA) and they lose possession via turnover 13.0 times per contest. The Knicks are responsible for committing 20.5 fouls every game and they connect on 78.4% from the free throw line. The Knicks on defense are ranked 1st in the NBA in points allowed per game with 104.8. They have forced 12.8 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 44.1% from the floor (1st in the NBA). The New York defense gives up 33.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter (840 of 2,475) and opponents are connecting on 76.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 23.6 dimes and 43.9 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 6th and 15th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Boston

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