The NBA defending champion Boston Celtics will kick off their season at TD Garden against the New York Knicks.
New York Knicks
The Knicks have overhauled their roster with the primary goal of defeating the Celtics. They acquired former top pick Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota and standout two-way player Mikal Bridges from the Nets. Towns brings one of the best outside-shooting abilities for a big man in NBA history, boasting a career three-point shooting percentage of 39.8%.
He represents a significant upgrade over Julius Randle, who was traded to the Timberwolves. Bridges is regarded as one of the league’s premier wing defenders, having held opponents to a shooting percentage of 42% over the past three seasons, which ranks as the fifth-lowest in the league for players with at least 2,500 attempts.
Bridges and OG Anunoby are now two Knicks defenders capable of challenging Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Both have 7-foot wingspans and are known for their defensive prowess, having earned spots on the NBA All-Defensive team and received Defensive Player of the Year votes. After acquiring Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors last season, New York posted a record of 20-3 with him in the lineup, compared to 30-29 without.
Boston Celtics
Boston has retained its core players (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis) from last season’s championship-winning squad. Last regular season, the Celtics recorded an impressive 63 wins with an average victory margin of 10.7 points, the fifth-best point differential in NBA history, allowing them to win the Eastern Conference by 14 games.
Their success continued into the playoffs, where they finished with a 16-3 record en route to the championship.
However, the Celtics won’t be at full strength for tonight’s matchup, as Kristaps Porzingis, who averaged 20 points and 7 rebounds last season, is recovering from offseason foot surgery and is not expected to return until December.
This means Boston will depend more on forwards Xavier Tillman Sr. and Luke Kornet in the early season.
The Celtics demonstrated strong offensive and defensive capabilities last season, ranking in the top six in offensive efficiency thanks to Tatum and Brown, and they finished second in defensive rating.
Knicks-Celtics Best Bet
The Celtics are favored by 6 points, with a total set at 222.5 points. While the Knicks have made improvements to their roster, it may take time for the new players to develop chemistry.
Even though the Celtics will be without Porzingis, they will be raising a championship banner, and the home-court advantage is likely to be a significant factor.
The moneyline odds favor the Celtics at -245, which seems a bit steep. Since this is the first game of the season, I’m unsure about the total as well.
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