Cavaliers vs. Celtics: NBA odds, Picks and Predictions
Cavaliers vs. Celtics Odds
| Cavaliers Odds | +5 |
| Clippers Odds | -5 |
| Over/Under | 218.5 |
| Date | Wed, Mar. 1 |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. |
| TV | ESPN |
On Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will meet at the TD Garden at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN. Entering play, Cleveland (39-25) owns the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, six games behind Boston (44-18), which is 0.5 game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the 1-seed in the standings. Tonight, oddsmakers are anticipating a Celtics victory, pricing Boston as 5-point home favorites on the spread.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Improving on the road
From opening night until January 27, the Cavaliers were 10-16 on the road. Since that point, Cleveland is 3-2 away from home, with wins against the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, and New Orleans Pelicans.
Overall, the team is still only 13-18 away from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse this year, but they still rank third in the NBA in Net Rating in those 31 contests – meaning that they are far from a pushover in these situations, even if they are struggling to get into the win column on a consistent basis.
Home/Away Splits
On their home floor, Cleveland is scoring 116.4 points per 100 possessions, and allowing only 107.3 points per 100 possessions, ranking ninth and second, respectively, in offensive and defensive efficiency. On the road, the Cavaliers are scoring 113.9 points per 100 possessions and allowing 112.1 points per 100 possessions, regressing on both ends of the floor.
Notably, Cleveland ranks fifth in opponent field goal percentage, 18th in opponent three-point percentage, and second in opponent free throw attempts allowed at home this year. On the road, they rank 14th in opponent field goal percentage, 25th in opponent three-point percentage, and 12th in opponent free throw attempts allowed per game.
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Boston Celtics
Dominant at home
Few teams in the NBA have been more intimidating in their home building this season than the Celtics, who enter play on Wednesday with a 24-7 record at the TD Garden. In those 31 games, Boston ranks third in the league in Net Rating, having outscored their opponents by 9.4 points per 100 possessions. Their success has been fueled by strong efficiency on both ends of the floor, but their fourth-ranked offensive efficiency has been the primary catalyst.
Back to full strength
After missing Monday’s loss against the New York Knicks due to personal reasons, Jaylen Brown will be back on the floor this evening for the Celtics. On the season, he is averaging 26.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
Per Cleaning the Glass, when Jayson Tatum, Brown, and Marcus Smart are on the floor together this season, the Celtics rank in the 69th percentile in offensive efficiency and the 53rd percentile in defensive efficiency.
Cavaliers vs. Celtics – Picks & Predictions
The Cleveland Cavaliers rank dead last in the NBA in pace this season on the road, which understandably leads bettors to immediately look at the under when they have a game. Yet, the Boston Celtics rank 15th in pace at home this year, and both teams are extremely skilled on the offensive end of the floor. Expect the star-power on these two rosters to do enough to cash the over in this spot.
PICK: Over 218.5 (-110, FanDuel)
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