Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks Prediction, 5/16/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks

Date: Friday, May 16, 2025

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (+3.0)

Madison Square Garden is the location where the New York Knicks (51-31) will attempt to beat the Boston Celtics (61-21) on Friday in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. New York leads the series 3 - 2. Boston opens as 3-point underdogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The over/under comes in at 210.

In Game 5, the Celtics went home with a win by a final score of 127-102. In relation to fouls, the Celtics ended up finishing with 25 while the Knicks finished the game with 20 fouls. They also converted 12 out of their 30 shots from 3-point range. New York went 80.0% from the charity stripe by burying 32 of their 40 attempts. Additionally, New York grabbed 40 rebounds (12 offensive, 28 defensive) and added 12 blocks. New York distributed 17 dimes and had 5 steals in this contest. When talking about the defense, Boston allowed the other team to shoot 35.8% from the floor on 29 out of 81 shooting. They also doled out 27 assists in this matchup while forcing 11 turnovers and having 3 steals. When talking about rebounding, they earned a total of 44 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the free throw line, the Celtics made 17 of their 26 tries for a percentage of 65.4%. Boston ended the contest having earned a 52.4% FG percentage (44 out of 84) and knocked down 22 of their 49 three-point attempts.

Derrick White is one player who was important in the matchup. White finished shooting 56.3% from the field and recorded 2 dimes. He saw the court for 40 minutes played and grabbed 3 boards. He was able to score 34 points on 9 of 16 shooting.

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Boston comes into this contest with a win-loss mark of 61-21 on the campaign. They turn it over 11.9 times per contest and as a team they are committing 15.9 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Boston is snagging 45.3 rebounds per contest and has totaled 2,144 dimes this year, which has them ranked 16th in the league in terms of passing the rock. The Celtics are shooting 36.8% on shots from beyond the arc (1,457 of 3,955) and 79.9% from the free throw line. They average 116.3 pts per game (8th in the league) while going 46.2% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Celtics are forcing their opponents into 12.8 turnovers every game and they draw 17.5 fouls. They are 3rd in basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,968 relinquished for the season. The Celtics are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.0% (3,302 of 7,331) and they concede 43.7 rebounds per game as a group. They concede 34.7% on three-point shots and they are 2nd in basketball in PPG allowed (107.2).

In Game 5, the Knicks earned 28 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 40 in this matchup. They also turned it over 11 times, while getting 5 steals in this game. The Celtics were called for 25 fouls in this matchup which got the Knicks to the free throw line for a total of 40 shots. They were able to make 32 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. In terms of shots from beyond the perimeter, New York made 12 out of 30 tries (40.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Knicks ended up going 29 for 81 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 35.8%. The Knicks allowed the Celtics to convert 44 out of 84 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.4% for the matchup. They finished the game shooting 44.9% from downtown by going 22 out of 49 and finished the game at 17 of 26 at the free throw line (65.4%). With respect to attacking the glass, New York permitted Boston to snag 44 in total (12 on the offensive side).

Josh Hart was important for the Knicks for this contest. He converted 7 of 15 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 46.7%, and totaled 7 rebounds. Hart tallied 24 points in his 36 minutes on the court and totaled 2 assists for this game.

New York has a win-loss record of 51-31 this year. As an offensive unit, the Knicks are hitting on 48.6% from the field, which has them ranked 5th in the league. New York has scored 9,494 points so far this season (115.8 per contest) and they collect 42.6 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 27.5 times per contest (11th in the league) and they turn the ball over 13.3 times per game. The Knicks are committing 17.2 fouls per contest and they shoot 80.0% from the free throw line.

The New York defense concedes 36.7% on 3-point attempts (1,072 of 2,924) and opponents are connecting on 78.9% of their free throw shots. They give up 25.2 dimes and 41.8 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 7th and 2nd in the NBA. The Knicks defensively are ranked 9th in basketball in PPG given up with 111.7. They are forcing 14.5 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 47.4% from the field (25th in the league).

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take New York (-3.0)

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