The Boston Celtics (15-16) host the Cleveland Cavaliers (19-12) Wednesday at the TD Garden for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off. Below, we look at the Cavaliers vs. Celtics odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Cleveland has won six straight and covered 14 in a row with its latest being a 119-90 beatdown of Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks Saturday.
Over the past two weeks, the Cavs are 6-0 straight-up (SU), 6-0 ATS and 4-2 O/U with the best non-garbage time net rating (plus-23.2 points per 100 possessions), according to CleaningTheGlass.com (CTG).
Boston fell to the Philadelphia 76ers, 108-103, Monday as 3-point home favorites and have alternated between winning and losing over the past five games. The Celtics are 2-4 SU, 2-3-1 ATS and 3-3 O/U with the 16th-ranked non-garbage net rating (minus-2.6 points per 100 possessions), per CTG.
This is the rubber match between these teams after they split the first two meetings in Cleveland earlier this season, but the Celtics covered in both.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2 p.m. ET.
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PASS since the likelihood that Boston wins is pretty high, but the Celtics (-250) is way too expensive for an NBA regular-season money line favorite. Especially during this COVID surge that has the NBA adjusting testing and roster policies mid-season.
BET the CELTICS -6.5 (-105) for 1 unit because Cleveland’s major edge—its frontcourt—has been negated due to a COVID outbreak within the Cavs.
For instance, both Allen and Mobley are sidelined due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, and even backup C Ed Davis will be out as well. This forces PF Kevin Love and F Dean Wade into the starting 5 and to play a little out of position.
The bottom line is the dropoff between Allen and Mobley will be too big for the Cavs to overcome. Cleveland isn’t sneaking up on anyone at this point—everyone in the NBA knows the Cavs can play—and the Celtics have both All-Stars in the projected starting lineup.
Finally, according to the Yahoo! Sports app, roughly 70% of the money and bets placed are on the Cavs. I definitely prefer fading a public underdog who’s missing two of its best players.
BET the CELTICS -6.5 (-105).
PASS with a slight “lean” to the Under 216.5 (-115) since both teams have better defensive than offensive ratings and they have a combined 24-37-1 O/U record this season.
However, outside of that, I don’t have much on this total. It’s tough to predict how the Cavs will play Wednesday with all their missing players. There’s a chance Cleveland speeds this game up and randomizes it with a 3-point barrage.
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