NBA picks: Knicks vs. Celtics prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report

The Boston Celtics will return home for Thursday night's matchup against the New York Knicks from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The game is slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET, and it will air on TNT.

For the Celtics, Malcolm Brogdon (personal), Al Horford (back) and Jaylen Brown (right adductor strain) will be back on the floor after missing Tuesday's game, while Marcus Smart (sprained right ankle) is expected to miss his third straight game. On the other side, Evan Fournier (personal) will miss second game in a row, and Mitchell Robinson (thumb) will be out for the fourth game in a row.

The Celtics are 8.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with -345 moneyline odds, making the Knicks +285 underdogs. The over/under is set at 224.5.

Knicks vs. Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Celtics -8.5

Boston should be plenty motivated to take the floor on Thursday night as it returns home for a nationally-televised game after losing consecutive road games. Both teams had a day off in between games, but the Celtics should be even more well rested because of their stars who took the night off. Boston lost two games in a row another time earlier this month and responded with a 124-95 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics should come out firing on Thursday night and cover this number at home.

Over/Under: Under 224.5

This is solely based on the way the Knicks play basketball. They have a very good defense that ranks third in opponent field goal percentage (45.2%), but New York can really struggle to put the ball in the hoop, checking in at 24th in shooting percentage offensively (45.7%). Boston should exceed its total of 95 in Tuesday's loss to the Miami heat, but the Knicks D should do enough to keep this number under 225 in this spot.

  
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