The Boston Celtics look to wipe the slate clean on Wednesday night and get even in their second-round matchup against the New York Knicks.
The pregame narrative: Boston put forth a dreadful shooting performance in the series opener, causing the team to blow a 20-point lead in the second half. New York is 4-0 on the road so far this postseason.
Check out my Knicks vs. Celtics SGP predictions for Game 2 on May 7, featuring Derrick White and Josh Hart.
Knicks vs. Celtics predictions
Parlay: Over 209.5 points | White 15+ points | Hart 8+ rebounds (+270)
Over 209.5 points (-129): The Celtics can’t be that bad again … can they?
I doubt it, which is a big reason why I like the over. Boston was a disastrous 15-of-60 from 3-point range in Game 1 despite getting a glut of open looks.
Game 1 did still cash the over on this point total because of the overtime period. But I’m not looking to rely on that happening again, either.
All four regular-season matchups between the Knicks and Celtics totalled at least 214 points in regulation.
Overs are 10-8-2 when the Knicks are underdogs this season and 29-20 in Knicks games when the teams have equal rest, per Team Rankings.
NBA SGP legs
White 15+ points (-155): An inefficient night from White didn’t deter him from getting a bunch of shots up in Game 1. He finished with 19 points on 18 shots (5-of-16 from deep).
Unfortunately, we can’t rely on that type of shot volume from White. But we can be heartened by how often he has torched the Knicks this year.
- 5 games
- 18.6 PPG
- 48.4 FG%
- 47.1 3PT%
- 100.0 FT%
He’s 4-1 against this milestone scoring prop, and he finished with 14 points in the lone outlier.
There’s clearly enough room in the Celtics’ offence for White to hit this mark. After all, he averaged a career-high 16.4 PPG during the regular season.
Hart 8+ rebounds (-305): You have to watch Hart to really appreciate his game. When there’s a loose ball up for grabs, he goes into junkyard-dog mode in a blink.
At 6-foot-4, Hart is often undersized in rebounding battles. It just doesn’t seem to matter.
- He averaged 9.4 rebounds during the regular season, cashing this milestone in 54 of 77 games.
- So far in the playoffs, he has 7+ rebounds in all seven games (averaging 9.0 RPG).
Hart grabbed 11 boards against Boston in Game 1 — his third straight game against the Celtics with a double-digit rebound total.
Knicks vs. Celtics predictions made at 9:10 a.m. ET 05/07/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.