Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks Prediction – 10/24/2025

The Boston Celtics will visit the New York Knicks in a Friday night matchup in the NBA. The Knicks got a win at home in their season opener and will look for a second straight victory against a Celtics team that lost its opener to Philadelphia. Before tip-off at Madison Square Garden, continue reading to get my Celtics vs Knicks prediction.

Our Celtics vs Knicks Pick

• Pick: New York Knicks -3.5
• Confidence: ★★★★☆

Game Snapshot

• Matchup: Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks
• Date & Time: Friday, October 24, 2025, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
• Broadcast: Prime Video

Key Storylines

The Knicks are entering this contest with home-court advantage and momentum after beating the Cavaliers in their season opener. The Celtics are seeking their first win after dropping their game on opening night. New York’s roster appears more stable and deeper at this juncture. The Knicks will be without Mitchell Robinson, who has been ruled out for this game due to ankle injury management. But that absence pales in comparison to the absence of Jayson Tatum for Boston.

Boston’s lack of an elite rim-protector and some early defensive lapses were noticeable in their lost to the Sixers. The Knicks are attempting to push tempo more under Mike Brown and that could cause problems for Boston’s short-handed roster. The NBA is all about which teams make their shots from the outside, but New York seems to have the personnel advantage going into this matchup with their Atlantic Division rivals.

Head-to-Head & Betting Trends

The Knicks covered the spread in their first game of the season, while Boston failed to cover the number as a home favorite against Philly. Both teams went over the total in their season openers, as only two games in the league have stayed under their totals after three nights of action.

These teams last played each other in last year’s playoffs, where the Knicks eliminated the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Tatum’s injury absence had a lot to do with that result and the Knicks will look for a repeat performance at home in this contest.

Best Player Props to Watch

Celtics vs Knicks Model Projection

Score Projection: New York Knicks 118 – Boston Celtics 110

Win Probability: Knicks 67%, Celtics 33%

Final Thoughts

If Jayson Tatum was healthy, this game could go either way. But he isn’t healthy and the Celtics will not have enough scorers to make up for his absence in this contest. I’ll lay the points with the Knicks at home, as they should improve to 2-0 on the season and continue building the excitement around their roster in a season where expectations could not be higher.

Jay Sanin

Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.