Celtics vs. Knicks prediction, picks: Best bets for NBA season opener, including a support from Josh Hart

After four long months without NBA basketball, the 2024-25 season is officially here. On Tuesday, the defending champion Boston Celtics open their season against the team that is considered their toughest competitor in the Eastern Conference: the New York Knicks.

While both teams are missing big players (Kristaps Porzingis for Boston, Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa for New York), we will have a relatively good performance on Tuesday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges will make their Knicks debuts against a Celtics team that returns virtually everyone from last season’s championship series.

So which sports betting tips are the best for the start on Tuesday? Let’s watch the match and find out.

Celtics vs Knicks game info

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | Date: Tuesday, October 22nd
Location: TD Garden-Boston
TV channels: TNT | Live stream: Max

Best Bets:

All odds via Caesars Sportsbook. Check out the latest Caesars promo code to get active during the NBA season openers.

The Celtics were ruthless across the league last season, but the Knicks outplayed them well in the Tom Thibodeau period before that. In the previous three seasons, the Knicks were 7-4 against Boston. Porzingis’ absence likely means more than just Robinson, as the Knicks appear to be relying on smaller, high-shooting lineups anyway, with Towns taking center stage. The Knicks are one of the few teams that have enough depth on defense to let the Celtics fight for their points. Boston could win this game, but I expect it to be reasonably close. A six-point line is just too high. The pick: Knicks +6

I rank The Celtics were the NBA’s No. 2 offense entering the season and the Knicks were the No. 3 offense. So… yeah, I expect offense. This isn’t rocket science. The line has not yet shifted to reflect the nature of these crimes. We have two elite 3-point shooting teams that can field five-man lineups so early in the season that scouting reports can’t yet accurately predict their tendencies. The shots may not go in, but overall this should be a game more focused on offense than defense. The Choice: Over 222.5

This will be a monster rebound season for Josh Hart. When he plays with so many shots, he creates so many open lanes for the basket to occupy while his teammates are shooting threes, and while Boston rebounds extremely well as a team, they lack a single, overwhelming rebounding center. The glass will belong to the Wings in this game, and no one values ​​rebounding more than Hart. The Pick: Hard over 8.5 rebounds