The Cleveland Cavaliers have been red-hot in the playoffs by collecting eight straight victories in sweeps of the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, but an extended time off ahead of Wednesday’s series-Sportsbook game of the Eastern Conference final vs the Boston Celtics has many wondering if LeBron James and company had too much rest. Sportsbooks opened the Celts as 4-point underdogs with a total of 219.5.
- The Cavaliers are 9-2 SU in their last 11 games against the Celtics.
- The Celtics are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games after losing the previous game in a matchup.
- The total has gone OVER in 12 of the Cavaliers' last 16 games.
The second-seeded Cavs haven’t played since May 7 and will lean heavily on the dynamic duo of James (34.4 points per game in the postseason) and point guard Kyrie Irving (23.8) as they look to shake off the rust. The top-seeded Celtics needed seven games to dispatch Washington, using a 115-105 victory in Game 7 on Sunday to advance to the conference final for the first time since 2012.
Isaiah Thomas has been leading the way for Boston, as the diminutive point guard is averaging 25.4 points in the postseason. Thomas had 29 points, 12 assists and just two turnovers in the Game 7 win over the Wizards. The 28-year-old has four 30-point outings in the playoffs to his name.
Cleveland fared well vs Boston in the 2016-17 campaign, winning three out of the four regular-season meetings between the Eastern Conference foes. It remains to be seen if the Cavs’ poor play in the second half of the season will come back to bite them since they fell out of the top spot in the conference, thus handing home-court advantage to the Celtics in this series.
The UNDER has been the hot bet when these squads have collided lately, evidenced by 10 of the Cavaliers' last 14 tilts vs the Celtics going below the total.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Odds makers at Sportsbook opened the Boston Celtics as 3-point underdogs in this betting matchup earlier today, while the OVER/UNDER betting line was sitting around 220 earlier at Sportsbook.
Odds Shark prediction models pick the Cavaliers to win this game 117-107. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NBA matchups here.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Boston Celtics are 61-34 so far on the NBA season, and 50-44-1 ATS vs the spread betting line. The Cleveland Cavaliers, meanwhile, are 59-31 and 40-46-4 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Boston go 45-46-4 and the Cavaliers go 53-35-2 on the total. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Boston vs Cleveland injuries news.
The Odds Shark betting Power Rankings have the Boston Celtics at No. 11 and the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 17 heading into this NBA contest.
Statistical Matchup
In rebounding, the battle of the boards features Boston's No. 27-rated NBA squad against Cleveland's No. 16-rated roster. When it comes to long-range shooting, Boston rates No. 3 in the league with 12.16 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 2 with 13.13 per outing.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Toronto was victimized by LeBron James for 35 points as the Cavaliers defeated the Raptors 109-102 in NBA action on Sunday.
Isaiah Thomas scored 29 points and chipped in with 12 assists for Boston on Monday, leading the Celtics to a 115-105 victory over Washington at TD Garden.
- Cleveland is 4-0-2 ATS in its last 6 games
- Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cleveland's last 8 games
- Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
- Boston is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games
- Boston is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games
- Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Cleveland at Boston, Friday, May 19th
