NBA Picks: Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks, Game 2

The New York Knicks held the Boston Celtics to just 25 points in the second half last Saturday, which is important to consider when making your NBA picks Tuesday night, as they meet up in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at Madison Square Garden.

Sports bettors will find that the Knicks are 6.5-point home favorites in the pro basketball odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total sits at 185 in the market.

Let's take a closer look at this 2013 NBA playoffs matchup from a betting perspective while offering up a prediction on the total along the way.

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics suffered an 85-78 loss to the New York Knicks as 7.5-point road underdogs in Game 1 last Saturday, going UNDER the posted total of 189.5.

Sports bettors will find that the Celtics are 3-8 straight up and 6-5 against the spread as road underdogs of 6.5 to 9.0 points dating back to the start of the 2012-13 NBA regular season.

New York Knicks

The New York Knicks have won four of five meetings against the Boston Celtics dating back to the start of the regular season, with the UNDER going 4-1 in that situation.

Over the last two-plus seasons, the Knicks have gone 14-18-1 against the spread as home favorites of 6.5 to 9.0 points.

Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers play the total as one of their NBA picks Tuesday night. The OVER is 7-1 in the Boston Celtics' last eight opportunities after scoring 90 points or less in two straight games.

NBA Pick: Over 185

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