I’m fading two of the biggest names in Saturday’s star-studded matchup between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.
The pregame narrative: There will be plenty of star power at Madison Square Garden tonight, both on and off the court. But neither Karl-Anthony Towns nor Jayson Tatum finds himself in a good spot to thrive.
Check out my Celtics vs. Knicks prop picks for Feb. 8.
Celtics vs. Knicks prop picks
Best bet: Towns under 22.5 points (-115)
It’s still a pretty small sample, but Towns has struggled to regain his shooting touch in eight games since suffering a thumb injury.
- Pre-injury: 25.4 PPG, 55.0 FG%, 44.9 3PT%
- Post-injury: 19.3 PPG, 44.8 FG%, 25.0 3PT%
In a tough matchup against the Celtics, I feel compelled to ride with KAT’s current trend and take the under on his point total.
Towns has been asked about his thumb injury multiple times since returning to action. And multiple times, he’s said, “It is what it is.”
Without trying to glean too much from a five-word quote, I’ll say it doesn’t offer a flowery outlook on how he’s feeling about the situation.
Clearly he’s content to play (and shoot) through it, but so far the results have left a lot to be desired.
Boston is a stout defensive squad that ranks fifth in defensive rating, fifth in points allowed and fourth in opponent FG%.
The Celtics also allow the second-fewest points to opposing centres (19.9), per Betting Pros. They held KAT to 12 points in the season opener.
Key stat: Towns has gone under 22.5 points in five of eight games since the thumb injury.
Quick pick
Tatum under 7.5 rebounds (-115): Any lingering thumb issues for KAT haven’t affected his ability to grab rebounds. He had 20 last time out and is averaging 13.6 RPG on the season.
As a whole, the Knicks allow the fewest rebounds per game to their opponents (41.1).
Part of that has to do with their below-average pace, but it’s also because they have the sixth-highest rebounding rate in the NBA (51.5%).
All of this serves as the foundation of why I’m fading Tatum.
And on an individual level, Tatum has struggled to clear this line recently.
Though he’s still averaging a team-high 8.7 rebounds this season, Tatum has posted just 6.4 RPG in his past 12 games — cashing this under nine times.
Picks made at 1:05 p.m. ET 02/08/2025.
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.