The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks meet in Game 6 tonight, with the defending champions looking to force a Game 7 back at the TD Garden.
With Jayson Tatum sidelined, my Celtics vs. Knicks same-game parlay looks to the supporting cast to step up in a big way.
Check out my favorite NBA picks for Friday, May 16.
Celtics vs Knicks SGP - May 16
Derrick White Over 20.5 points
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 20.5 points
Payton Pritchard Over 3.5 threes
The Boston Celtics will need a miracle to actually win the NBA Finals again after Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles, but getting past the New York Knicks remains possible. One player who must continue to step up is Derrick White, who has been a key piece of this squad all season long.
White is averaging 19.9 ppg in the playoffs, and he’s playing nearly 40 minutes per contest. He’s surpassed 40 minutes of action in three of the five games in this series against New York. Across the last two meetings, the veteran has comfortably cashed the Over in points, scoring 23 in Game 4 and then showing out for 34 points in the blowout Game 5 victory. He’ll bring his best again with Boston’s season on the brink.
Karl-Anthony Towns hasn’t played his best basketball in the postseason so far. He’s only averaging 19.6 points in this series against the C’s, substantially lower than his season average of 24.4 ppg. However, his total is low enough tonight for value in the Over.
KAT has hit the Over in points in three of the last four games, dropping 23,21, and 21. He also scored 19 in Game 5 — just below the total for Game 6. The Knicks will be motivated to respond after an embarrassing performance at MSG, and Towns will play his part in making this contest competitive.
Lastly, I’m eyeing Payton Pritchard to do what he does best — shoot threes. The Oregon product is shooting 41.3% from long range in the playoffs, averaging 2.6 makes on 6.3 attempts per game. However, he’s drained Over 3.5 triples in two of his last three games.
Pritchard took a whopping 14 treys in Game 5 and converted five of them. In Game 3, he also took 10 threes and hit five. Pritchard isn’t afraid to chuck up shots from beyond the arc, and with Tatum out, there are more attempts to go around. He’ll be taking many more in Game 6.
Cash your ML bets quicker with bet365's early win payout
Take advantage of the early win payout at bet365, where any pre-game NBA moneyline bet gets paid out as a winner if your team goes up by 20+ points!
Learn more about this feature, and all of bet365's offerings, with our comprehensive bet365 review.
21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
