At 7:30 ET, the Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Boston Celtics in an Eastern Conference matchup. The Celtics (-324) are currently favored by 7.5 points over the Cavaliers (+257).

Both teams are currently in the top three of the Eastern Conference. The Celtics (48-12) are on an 11-game win streak and are first in both the conference and Atlantic Division. The Cavaliers (39-21) are third in the conference and second in the Central Division.

BOSTON CELTICS VS CLEVELAND CAVALIERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers +7.5

This game will be played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse at 7:30 ET on Tuesday, March 5th.

WHY BET THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 117-116 in favor of the Celtics.
  • Our projections have Jayson Tatum finishing with Jayson Tatum points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
  • From the field, we have the Celtics finishing with a field goal percentage of 47.6% and knocking down 18 threes.

Do the Celtics Have a Shot at a Road Win?

The Celtics are 7.5-point favorites today against the Cavaliers, and they have been favored in 57 of their 60 games this season. As the favorite, they have gone 46-11 straight up and 27-27 against the spread.

Boston has won 11 straight games overall and is in 1st place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 48-12. In the East, they are 33-6 and 15-1 against other teams in their division.

On the road, the Celtics have an average scoring differential of +6.8 points per game. Against the spread, they are 12-14 on the road and 19-9 straight-up.

In their last game, the Celtics beat the Warriors by a score of 140-88. The O/U line for that game was 231, and Boston was favored by 8 points going into the game.

This season, the Celtics have an O/U record of 29-31, and their games have averaged 231.2 points per game. Today’s O/U line is set at 218, and 59 of their games have had higher O/U lines than that.

For the season, the Celtics are 29-28 against the spread and have covered in their last six games. Their most recent ATS win came against the Warriors (+8), and they won the game by 52 points.

So far this season, the Celtics are averaging 121.3 points per game, which ranks 3rd in the NBA. However, their scoring numbers are slightly lower on the road, where they average 118.9 points per game.

When it comes to their pace of play, the Celtics are 17th in the league at 98.2 possessions per game. In terms of field goal percentage, they are 10th overall at 48%.

One area where the Celtics excel is three-point shooting. They lead the NBA in both three-pointers made per game (16.4) and three-point attempts per game (42.4). Overall, they are shooting 38% from beyond the arc.

Coming into the game, the Celtics defense has held opposing team’s to fewer points than the league average in 26.7% of their games. Currently, they are 4th in the NBA at 109.9 points per game allowed. On two point field goal attempts, the Celtics’ defensive unit is allowing a field goal percentage of 51.7% and allowing 34.4% from beyond the arc.

Will the Cavaliers Find a Way to Win at Home?

In their last game, the Cavaliers lost to the Knicks by a score of 107-98. The O/U line for that game was 208.5 points. Cleveland was favored by 4.5 points going into the game, giving them an ATS loss.

This season, the Cavaliers are 27-32-1 on the O/U, and the under has hit in their last two games. Today’s line is set at 218 points, and their games have averaged 223.9 points per game.

Against the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers have a record of 26-15, which is the 3rd best in the East. In their division, they are 9-5 and are currently 2nd in the Central.

Cleveland has an overall record of 39-21 and is 3rd in the Eastern Conference. As the underdog, they are 8-10 this season and have gone 9-8 ATS. The Cavs have covered the spread in two straight games as the underdog.

At home, the Cavaliers are 14-17 ATS this season and have failed to cover the spread in five straight games. On average, they are outscoring opponents by 4.6 points per game at home.

Heading into their game against the Celtics, the Cavaliers are 18th in the NBA in scoring at 114.3 points per game. However, at home, they are averaging 115.5 points per game.

On the season, Cleveland is 12th in field goal percentage at 48%. In terms of pace, they are 21st in the league at 97.7 possessions per game.

When it comes to three-point shooting, the Cavs are 7th in made threes per game but just 17th in three-point shooting percentage at 36%. Overall, they are 11th in true shooting percentage.

This season, the Cavaliers defense has been impressive, holding the 2nd position in the league while permitting an average of 109.5 points per contest. In terms of two point field goal attempts, the Cavaliers defense has allowed a shooting percentage of 51.6% while allowing 36.1% from downtown.