NBA DFS Picks for the Playoffs: Knicks vs Celtics – Game 1

The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics begin their best-of-seven series tonight in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where the winner will play either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks had some trouble but eventually dispatched the Detroit Pistons in six games, while the Celtics easily handled the seventh-seeded Orlando Magic in just five games. These teams have met quite a bit in NBA playoff history, as it’s the 17th matchup between the Knicks and Celtics, but just the first meeting between the two since the 2013 season.

With this series beginning in Boston at the TD Garden, let’s dive into this Game 1 matchup while recapping how both teams got here and make a Game 1 pick for tonight.

Pistons vs Knicks and Magic vs Celtics First-Round Series Recap

The New York Knicks’ path to the Eastern semis was a bit rockier than the Celtics, but they eventually beat the plucky Detroit Pistons in six games. After a run of five straight series games decided by six points or less, Game 6’s performance was highlighted by Jalen Brunson’s 40-point outburst to close out the series. The Knicks’ offensive performance – or lack thereof – was a bit shocking during their series with the Pistons. Their 109.8 points per 100 possessions would have ranked in the bottom 10 teams in the NBA during the regular season. That won’t fly against the Celtics in this series.

The defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics are riding high after easily dismantling the Orlando Magic in five games. They are a bit banged up, however, but the Celtics’ injury report is clean for their Game 1 matchup after having dealt with nagging injuries from Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Boston, the 61-game winners throughout the regular season, are playoff-tested and as well-rounded as any team in the league under head coach Joe Mazzulla. Boston’s defense shut down the Magic to the tune of 103.8 points per 100 possessions, which would have been dead last in the regular season, so pair that with scoring from Tatum, Brown and Kristaps Porzingis, and you’ve got a team that’s not easily dealt with in a seven-game series.

The Knicks have their own stable of scorers to match the Celtics’ quartet, including Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, but the depth on their bench is glaring compared to Boston’s. New York has rolled out Miles McBride, Cam Payne and Mitchell Robinson as their main subs off the bench, but it’s much harder for them to keep up any offensive output when any of the starters are sitting. That’s likely why each Knicks’ starter has averaged over 37 minutes in their series with Detroit.

Payton Pritchard off the bench for the Celtics provides instant offense, something that the Knicks don’t have. Sam Hauser is no slouch either and both are important to the three-point barrage that Boston wants to maintain. In particular, Tatum was deadly against the Knicks, averaged 33.5 points per game and shot 53.5 percent from the floor plus 47.8 percent from beyond the arc in the Celtics’ four regular-season games against the Knicks – all wins. The Knicks are going to have to cover a lot of ground to make this series with the Celtics a competitive one, but the Celtics are so well-coached and excellent on both ends of the floor that it’s hard to see them outmaneuvering the Knicks.

Knicks vs Celtics Game 1 Preview

For DFS in Game 1, it’s going to come down to how well the Celtics can space the floor and get their three-point shots up, as well as finding a third scorer outside of Tatum and Brown. While Porzingis has averaged 12 points in the five-game series against the Magic, he’s been up and down and alternating single-digit scoring games with double-digit games while shooting just 35 percent from the field. Will his former team be the cure that ails him? Matching up against the Knicks in the regular season, Porzingis averaged 24.5 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor and 45.5 percent from three. Getting a reliable third scorer to pair with the Celtics’ stars will make everybody’s life easier and could make this series a breeze for Boston.

For tonight, we’ll look at Porzingis and his point scoring to get a double-digit performance at home in Game 1. 

Our Pick: Kristaps Porzingis to Record 18+ Points