Knicks vs. Celtics Preview: 2 Player Props and a Best Bet for NBA Opening Night

It’s been a long four months of waiting for the NBA season to come back. We had fun with baseball and the WNBA, but now the real fun returns. Two games tip-off tonight: the Knicks vs. Celtics and the Timberwolves vs. Lakers.

It’s the first day of the NBA so we are going to focus on the early game out in Boston, let’s look at the three best bets to lock in for tonight.

New York Knicks’ Josh Hart UNDER 9.5 Points

I love my Knicks; Josh Hart has become a fan favorite in New York City. The Villanova alum hit the game-winner against the Sixers to send them into the second round, but now it’s time for him to take a step back.

The Knicks have a newly revamped roster with the additions of Karl Anthony-Towns and Mikal Bridges. Towns and Bridges are combining for an average of 41.4 points per game. Don’t forget they have Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby too; this makes Hart the 5th option to score the basketball.

During the preseason, Hart scored just two points in 90 minutes of playing time in six total shots. The 29-year-old said after that he is “lost” so it’s going to take time for him to get into a rhythm. He won’t be playing those 45+ minute games like last season. The under should be a solid play to take.

Boston Celtics -1.5 1Q

If you saw my articles from last season I LOVE first-quarter bets, so today, I am going with Celtics -1.5. I hate betting against my New York Knicks, but this makes sense.

The Towns trade just happened less than a month ago. It’s going to take a few weeks before this roster builds chemistry with the new additions. As for the Celtics, they are going to come out with the energy of TD Garden after raising their banner and receiving their rings.

If we look back at previous games between New York and Boston, in four out of five matchups last season the Celtics beat the Knicks in the first quarter. I expect that same result to happen tonight.

New York Knicks’ Mikal Bridges UNDER 2.5 Threes

This bet has been hovering between 2.5 and 1.5, the public is on edge about what to take for this prop. Bridges was a solid shooter last season, shooting 37% from three last season. This year, he has changed his shooting motion.

During the preseason, if you watch his jumper compared to last season, he has added a hitch to his motion affecting his jump shot. I’ll be honest, the shot looks broken.

It may not be the end for him in the long term, everyone is always trying to fine-tune their craft, but to start this has not been great for the Philly native. In the preseason, the 28-year-old shot 2-19 from beyond the arc.

What you do in the preseason translates to the first few games. Bridges shouldn’t hit three three-pointers against the Celtics good defense.