It’s Friday, May 16, and the Boston Celtics (61-21) and New York Knicks (51-31) are all set to square off from Madison Square Garden in New York for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Celtics owned Game 5 with a 25-point blowout win at home (127-102) amid the loss of Jayson Tatum (Achilles injury in Game 4). Boston is still one game away from elimination and split 1-1 in New York. Derrick White is coming off a game-high 34-point outing on 7-of-13 from three (53.8%), while Jaylen Brown scored 26 points to go along with 12 assists and 8 rebounds.
Jalen Brunson had his second-lowest point outcome of the series with 22 points on 7-of-17 from the field (41.2%), while Josh Hart added a playoff-high 24 points. Karl-Anthony Towns had his lowest output (19 points) since Game 1 but also dealt with foul trouble as he’s had four or more fouls in all five games.
The Celtics are currently 33-8 on the road with a point differential of 9, while the Knicks have a 6-4 record in their last ten games at home. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Celtics vs. Knicks live today
Date: Friday, May 16, 2025Time: 8:00 PM ESTSite: Madison Square GardenCity: New York, NYNetwork/Streaming: ESPN
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Game odds for Celtics vs. Knicks
The latest odds as of Friday:
Odds: Celtics (+119), Knicks (-142)Spread: Knicks -2.5Over/Under: 210 points
That gives the Celtics an implied team point total of 104.43, and the Knicks 105.73.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Friday’s Celtics vs. Knicks game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes the Knicks to close the series at home with a strong start:
“This has been one fun series to watch and despite two blowouts in the past three games, I think we see a tight contest like we did in Game 3. Four of the Celtics’ starting five went a combined 28-of-48 from the field (58.3%) in Game 5 and I don’t think that translates as well in MSG. This is a moment that the New York franchise has been waiting on and from the gate, the home crowd will make it a tough environment. With Mr. Clutch on the Knicks side at home, I trust New York with a lead or trailing. I will back the Knicks to win and like the Celtics first quarter team total Under after two strong starts in Games 4 and 5.”
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Celtics & Knicks game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Boston Celtics at +2.5.Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 210.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Celtics vs. Knicks on Friday
The Celtics have won 4 of 5 games at divisional opponentsThe Over is 12-9 in the Celtics’ divisional matchups this seasonThe Celtics have failed to cover in 12 of their 21 matchups against Eastern Conference Atlantic Division teams this seasonThe Celtics have won 4 of 5 games at divisional opponents
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
– Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
