The Boston Celtics (35-15) and Cleveland Cavaliers (40-9) will meet in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The game will be broadcast live on TNT.
The Cavaliers are 2-point favorites over the Celtics on the spread (Cavaliers -2), with the over/under set at 237.5 total points. Cleveland is a -130 favorite to win outright, while Boston is +110 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Celtics vs. Cavaliers predictions and NBA picks for Tuesday, February 4.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers Picks, Prediction
Spread
Although the Boston Celtics have lacked motivation for much of the season, they should have no problem getting up for this matchup against the Cavaliers, who have the best record (40-9) in the league.
Moneyline
The Cavaliers are on a hot streak both straight up and against the spread with four straight victories by 19 or more points. So, it's hard to look past the home side.
Over/Under
The sheer magnitude of this game suggests it might be more of a defensive battle than the experts think. As a result, I prefer to take a contrarian approach and fade the market's move on the over.
My Pick: Under 237.5 or Better
Celtics vs Cavaliers Odds
| Celtics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2 -110 | 237.5 -110o / -110u | +110 |
| Cavaliers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2 -110 | 237.5 -110o / -110u | -130 |
- Celtics vs. Cavaliers spread: Cavaliers -2
- Celtics vs. Cavaliers over/under: 237.5 total points
- Celtics vs. Cavaliers moneyline: Celtics +110, Cavaliers -130
- Celtics vs. Cavaliers best bet: Under 237.5 total points
My Celtics vs. Cavaliers best bet is on the Under at 237.5 total points, with the best line currently available at Caesars. But, as always, make sure to shop for the best line using our live NBA odds page.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers Preview
Boston and Cleveland will meet for the third time this season in what could easily be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams have held serve on their home courts, resulting in the series tied at one game apiece.
The margins have been razor-thin in the previous two meetings, as neither team won by more than four points. And now that they're set to face one another yet again, I'd have to think there's a bit more of a blueprint for each team to follow.
After Boston used a barrage of 3-pointers (22-of-41, 53.2%) in the first game to pull out a 120-117 victory, we saw the Cavaliers win the second meeting 115-111 thanks to a defensive adjustment that limited the Celtics to 17-of-49 (34.7%) shooting beyond the arc.
Thus, I think we'll see a bit more of a defensive chess match here, with both teams being more familiar with one another.
There's also a chance this total is somewhat inflated after the Cavaliers' 134-115 victory over Atlanta on Thursday and Sunday's 144-101 thumping of the Mavericks.
However, Atlanta plays at the second-fastest pace, averaging 104.16 possessions per game. Moreover, the Mavericks were utterly deflated after the organization decided to trade away its best player, Luka Doncic.
Boston plays at the sixth-slowest pace (97.89 possessions) in the league and won't come close to facing the distractions the Mavericks encountered.
We must note that despite all the offensive firepower on hand, these are two of the best defensive teams, ranking no worse than eighth in efficiency.
Winning four straight games by 19 or more points is indeed a rare feat, as the KillerSports database has only 18 instances of such an occurrence. Interestingly, there have only been three previous instances of a team in this spot facing another opponent for the third time this season with a total of 218 or more points, and it's worth noting that the under is a perfect 3-0 in this spot.
Lastly, this will be just the third time the Celtics have been underdogs this season, and the previous two games managed to stay under the total.
While I expect both teams to score points, it's more likely this game will finish in the low 230s.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers Prediction
I've decided not to include the total as part of my same-game parlay in case I got my analysis completely wrong. As a result, I'll look to target some enticing player props.
This feels like a night for the stars, and I expect Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell to be the main attractions. Both players have a points prop of 24.5, but Tatum has gone over that projection in nine of his past 10 meetings against the Cavs, while Mitchell has covered the number in seven straight games in this series.
I'll also look to target some supporting players in the assists category.
Cleveland's Darius Garland has a projection of 6.5 assists, which he has exceeded in eight straight home games and four straight meetings against the Celtics.
Boston's Kristaps Porzingis has also exceeded his assists prop of 1.5 in seven straight road games and three of his past four meetings against the Cavaliers.
However, I will target the under in assists for Celtics' point guard Payton Pritchard, who has an assists prop of 3.5 and has failed to cover that number in five straight games against top-10 defenses for assists allowed. The Cavaliers are one of the teams that fit the criteria defensively, and Pritchard has made over 3.5 assists just once in his past 10 meetings against Cleveland.
Although we'll certainly need a bit of luck to cash this parlay, it should keep things relatively interesting as we indulge in this Eastern Conference showdown.
Best Bet: Under 237.5 or better
Same Game Parlay Picks
- Jayson Tatum 25+ points (-150)
- Donovan Mitchell 25+ points (-150)
- Darius Garland 7+ assists (-130)
- Kristaps Porzingis 2+ assists (-250)
- Payton Pritchard under 3.5 assists (-125)
Parlay Payout: +1000
Cavaliers vs Celtics Betting Trends
