Knicks vs. Celtics prediction, odds, time: 2026 NBA picks for Friday, Oct. 23

SportsLine’s model reveals its New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics best bets on Friday

The defending champion New York Knicks head to TD Garden on Friday for the Boston Celtics' home opener, with both Eastern Conference heavyweights searching for their first win after falling in their season debuts. New York opened its title defense with a 106-100 loss to a Philadelphia squad bolstered by a loaded offseason, while the Celtics dropped a 121-113 decision to Detroit to open a retooled campaign that now features Paul George after the offseason trade of Jaylen Brown. Visit our Kalshi promo code review and get a $55 bonus after $25+ in trades with the Kalshi promo code CBSSPORTS55: Tipoff from TD Garden in Boston is set for 7 p.m.

ET. Boston is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Knicks vs. Celtics odds, while the over/under is 221.5. Before making any Celtics vs. Knicks picks, check out the Knicks vs. Celtics predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model. The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned nearly $19,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks since 2018, including five straight seasons of four-digit profit. The model enters the 2026-27 season off yet another huge season, including going 26-10 (72%) on top-rated spread picks at NBA betting sites. Anyone following on betting sites could have seen huge returns. Now, the model has simulated