The hype around Opening Night in the NBA is always fun, and this year is no different as the Boston Celtics will be raising their 18th championship banner before tonight’s matchup against the rival New York Knicks.
The excitement and emotion from the big night usually give us a little edge in the NBA player props betting market.
Here are my NBA picks for the Knicks vs. Celtics on Tuesday, Oct. 22. If you want more action, Zak Hanshew has you covered with his Knicks vs. Celtics predictions!
Best Knicks vs Celtics props today
Bridges o2.5 threes (+154 at FanDuel)
Brown u23.5 points (-113 at FanDuel)- Anunoby o1.5 assists (+100 at Sports Interaction)
Picks made on 10-22
Knicks vs Celtics player props for October 22
Prop bet #1: Mikal Bridges Over 2.5 threes
One of the reasons the New York Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges in the offseason was because when paired with OG Anunoby, New York has two of the best defenders in the NBA.
Bridges is also a solid 3-point shooter, living up to the 3-and-D moniker. The 28-year-old has shot 37.6% from beyond the arc on 6.3 attempts per game over the last two seasons.
Expect a little bit of a dip in attempts this season as he transitions from one of the primary scoring options on the Nets to a secondary one in New York. I don’t expect Bridges to revert to the Phoenix version of himself.
That said, he's changed his shot this offseason, and while the preseason results haven't been great, I trust the Knicks coaching staff to have him set to go for tonight.
Jalen Brunson is clearly the guy for the Knicks, but the way the roster is built heading into the season, it feels like Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby are options 2A, 2B, and 2C depending on the matchup and who is playing well. I like this matchup against the Boston Celtics for Bridges.
The C's were one of the better defensive teams in the NBA during their championship run, but they allowed a lot of 3-point attempts: The eighth-most per game and the third-most to opposing wings.
New York also played at a little higher pace this preseason, so hopefully we get a few more possessions. With the Celtics raising the banner for their championship tonight, their thoughts may not be as squarely focused on defense as they could be.
Prop bet #2: Jaylen Brown Under 23.5 points
One of the guys who could be hit with the distractions of Opening Night and banner-raising is Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
Brown’s Finals performance will be fresh in everyone’s mind heading into this game. That said, he averaged 23 points with a solid .557 effective field goal percentage last season and was a very streaky shooter from beyond the arc — hitting 35.4% of his 3-point attempts.
He now has to deal with a Knicks team that went out this offseason and made moves specifically to beat him and Jayson Tatum. With New York acquiring Bridges, it’s likely Brown will have to deal with Bridges or Anunoby all game long.
It’s not like the Knicks were an easy matchup for Brown to begin with. New York played Boston five times last season and held Brown to 19 ppg on 45.7 % shooting, including a dismal 25% from three. Brown scored more than 22 points just once.
Brown is clearly a great competitor, but it’s only natural to get swept up in a moment like this. Mix in a matchup against a Knicks team trying to get where the Celtics are, and it gets even tougher.
Prop bet #3: OG Anunoby Over 1.5 assists
It also can’t be a Covers NBA prop article without an assists prop (shoutout to our guy Jon Metler), and for that, I turn to OG Anunoby.
The former Raptor resigned with New York after being traded midseason. Now, Anunoby always carries some injury risk along with him but he’s reportedly ready to go for the regular season.
The Knicks looked dominant when Anunoby was on the court last season, going 20-3 straight up. Anunoby averaged 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Not surprisingly, his assists prop is sitting at 1.5 for this matchup, but I like the Over here. It starts with the fact New York has added Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges to the lineup.
Not that OG will be passive with the ball in this game, but he's more likely to swing the ball knowing he has two more capable scorers on the court with him.
Second, Boston is a good defensive team, and while it didn’t give up a ton of assists last season, moving the ball around the perimeter is the best way to break that defense down.
Anunoby went Over 1.5 assists in 11 of his 23 regular season games as a Knick, and with more talent around him this season I expect an uptick in those assist numbers, starting tonight.
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