Category: Basketball

It’s Tuesday, April 8, and the Boston Celtics (58-20) and New York Knicks (50-28) are all set to square off from Madison Square Garden in New York.

The Celtics are currently 32-7 on the road with a point differential of 9, while the Knicks have an 8-2 record in their last ten games at home. Boston is 3-0 against New York this season with a 27-point win at MSG.

New York has won two straight and five of the past six games, while Boston is 11-1 over the last 12 games and on a two-game winning streak as well.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.

Game details & how to watch Celtics vs. Knicks live today

• Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025
• Time: 7:30PM EST
• Site: Madison Square Garden
• City: New York, NY
• Network/Streaming: TNT / TruTV / Max

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.

Game odds for Celtics vs. Knicks

The latest odds as of Tuesday:

• Odds: Celtics (-131), Knicks (+110)
• Spread:  Celtics -2
• Over/Under: 221 points

That gives the Celtics an implied team point total of 111.07, and the Knicks 110.02.

Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!

Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday’s Celtics vs. Knicks game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Knicks to win:

"I was surprised to see the Knicks as slight favorites, but Boston is dealing with injuries and inconsistencies in the lineup, so I shouldn't be as shocked. Jalen Brunson returned and the Knicks likely have a newfound confidence. A win at MSG over the Knicks would be monumental for this team entering the postseason, so it's Knicks ML or pass for me, especially since Boston is 3-0 versus New York this season."

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Celtics & Knicks game:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Boston Celtics on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Boston Celtics at -2.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 221.

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Celtics vs. Knicks on Tuesday

• The Celtics are on a 3-game win streak at the Knicks
• The Knicks' last 3 home games have stayed under the Total
• The Celtics have covered in 4 of their last 5 games as a road favorite
• The Celtics have won 18 of their last 20 games on the road

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)

- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)

- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)

- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

Paul George came to Philadelphia on a four-year, $212 million max contract, but due to injuries he played in just 41 games, averaging 16.2 points a night (his lowest output since 2012). Before the season tipped off, Joel Embiid signed a three-year, $192.9 million contract extension with Philadelphia that doesn't even kick in until the 2026-27 season. Embiid played in just 19 games due to knee issues this season.

The 76ers aren't trading either of them this summer, they couldn't if they wanted to (not getting a reasonable return). Nick Nurse stated the obvious, speaking to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: If Philadelphia is going to bounce back next fall from the most disappointing season in franchise history, it starts with a healthy Embiid and George.

"There's, obviously, a good number of them that need to get taken care of, get back to health, but obviously, Joel and Paul will be the big concerns," Nurse said. "Can they get back and get ready to go? And I guess we won't find that out for a little while, and then you start unpacking and then you get back to thinking there's some really, really good players there and start piecing it together and then we get ready to build out the rest of the roster around them."

Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey played just 15 games together this season. If that number doesn't at least reach 50 next season, then hopes for a turnaround are slim — that's the financial reality of today's NBA and the 76ers' top-heavy construction.

With those three players plus rookie Jared McCain — who was running away with Rookie of the Year until he tore his meniscus in January — the Sixers are on the hook for $149.1 million in salary, which is about $5 million below the salary cap and having at least 10 roster spots to fill. The actual number to watch is the second tax apron ($207.8 million), but things add up quickly to get the 76ers near there. Philly has tanked, losing 12 in a row, hoping to retain its first-round draft pick (it is owed to Oklahoma City, top-six protected). If Philly lands in the top six, that rookie will cost at least $8 million (and could cost up to $13 million). Quentin Grimes has been a standout to end the season but is a free agent expected to command $20-$25 million a season with his new deal. Kelly Oubre is expected to opt out of his $8.4 million contract and become a free agent seeking a raise, and Guerschon Yabusele is also a free agent. Keep most of those players, round out the roster with minimum salary players, and the Sixers are pushing the tax aprons.

Philadelphia is committed to a top-heavy roster. That means the only way they can win next season is if Embiid, George, and Maxey can deliver at a much higher level than we saw this year. And that starts with getting the trio healthy.

While some fantasy managers compete in leagues that run through the end of the NBA's regular season, most were completed by the end of Sunday's games. Congratulations to those who won their leagues and the money (and bragging rights) that comes with it. Those who did not will reflect on what went wrong and how they can avoid a similar fate next season.

With the fantasy season effectively over, now is a good time for the Rotoworld fantasy basketball staff to have a few roundtable discussions. Tuesday's conversation focuses on the most disappointing player in fantasy basketball this season. Nick Shlain, Noah Rubin, Raphielle Johnson and Zak Hanshew made their picks, with two landing on the same name.

Who was the biggest disappointment in fantasy basketball this season?

Nick Shlain: Joel Embiid's preseason Yahoo! ADP was 12, making him a borderline first-round pick. On a per-game basis, he's 41st on Basketball Monster. However, according to Basketball Monster, Embiid ranks 290th in total game value. The 76ers' big man only managed to play 19 games. This was a toss-up between Embiid and Paul George, his teammate who played in 41 games but wasn't as good on a per-game basis. However, George wasn't drafted as high with a preseason ADP of 35, which makes Embiid the bigger disappointment this season.

Noah Rubin: Not that I had high expectations for Kyle Kuzma, but I expected him to provide plenty of points, rebounds, assists and threes, even if it came inefficiently. While the inefficiency was undoubtedly there, the other numbers weren't. His points, rebounds, assists and threes have all been his lowest since he was a Laker, and his field goal and free throw percentages have been the worst of his career. He has been slightly better with Milwaukee, especially in recent weeks, but Kuzma hasn't been worthy of a roster spot for most of this season.

Raphielle Johnson: For this question, I wanted to pick a player who has been available for at least 60 games. So, Joel Embiid and Paul George were not considered. Instead, I went with Kyle Kuzma. Sure, most fantasy managers understand that they should not expect to get too much value from rostering him, but this season was incredible. Kuzma is ranked outside the top-250 in eight-cat value between Washington and Milwaukee according to Basketball Monster, and he's been even less valuable in nine-cat. If you're like me and thought moving to a team that aimed to win games would give Kuzma a shot at regaining fantasy relevance, he's ranked 250th in eight-cat since the trade, according to Basketball Monster. With a Yahoo! ADP of 86, that's an abysmal return.

Zak Hanshew: It's hard to tag Chet Holmgren as a sophomore slump because some of his struggles in Year 2 are likely the result of an injury. Holmgren got off to a solid start before a hard fall, which resulted in a hip injury that kept him sidelined for three months. He's appeared in just 30 games this season, and his turnovers are up while his efficiency is significantly down. Holmgren's defensive numbers have held steady, but there have been no significant strides as a rebounder or facilitator. The big man ranks just inside the fourth round in per-game fantasy value, even though he was drafted on average as a mid-second-rounder. After missing his entire rookie season with a foot injury and most of his third season with a hip injury, fantasy managers should be concerned about his availability for Year 3 and beyond.