The New York Knicks will get their second shot at closing the series against the Boston Celtics, with Madison Square Garden ready to erupt if the home team pulls it off. Of course, that is going to be easier said than done, even if the Celtics are missing Jayson Tatum. Will the Knicks dethrone Boston? Or, will the Celtics live to see another game at TD Garden?
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Away: Boston Celtics (2-3)
Projected Starting Five:
- Derrick White
- Jrue Holiday
- Jaylen Brown
- Al Horford
- Kristaps Porzingis
The question still looms large over the Celtics: Can they survive without Jayson Tatum? Based on their Game 5 performance, the answer is yes. In that contest, the Celtics somehow put together their best offensive performance in the series with Tatum out with a serious injury. Boston shot 52.4 percent from the floor and hit 22 of its 49 attempts from behind the arc for a 44.9 percent success rate from deep.
After shooting like a below-average team in the first four games of the series, during which they shot just 41.4 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from 3-point range, the Celtics finally got their rhythm back despite missing Tatum. Sure, the Celtics are always going to be better when Tatum is around, but just because he isn’t on the floor, that doesn’t mean Boston is all of a sudden a glorified sparring partner for New York.
The Celtics enter Game 6 with a 2-1 record against the spread in their last three games away from Beantown.
Home: New York Knicks (3-2)
Projected Starting Five:
- Jalen Brunson
- Mikal Bridges
- Josh Hart
- OG Anunoby
- Karl-Anthony Towns
After missing out on an opportunity to win the series in Game 5, the Knicks will try again in Game 6, this time at the comfort of their home. New York simply got outplayed by Boston on both sides of the floor in the last meeting. It could have been a much different story, though, if OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges had shot better. Anunony went 1-for-12 in Game 5 while Bridges was 4-for-14.
Together, they scored just 15 points after combining for 43 points in Game 4. The vibe of Madison Square Garden could help turn things around offensively for the Knicks, who are averaging 4.2 points per 100 possessions better at home in the playoffs than on the road. It will be important for the Knicks to find their offense early and when things get tight in the clutch, which has been a specialty of Jalen Brunson in the playoffs. Brunson is averaging 9.9 points on 50. FG% and 45.5 3FG% in fourth quarters since the playoffs started.
The Knicks are 5-4-1 against the spread in their last 10 games at home versus Boston, dating back to 2021.
Picks
Spread: New York Knicks (-2.5)
Over/Under: Under (211.0)
