Key Points
- The Celtics are favored by a 12.5 point spread margin for the second straight game
- Boston is 25 - 18 - 2 Home ATS at home this season
- The Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games
- The Celtics are 3-1 ATS at home in the playoffs
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The NBA Playoffs continue tonight, and it's game two between the Cleveland Cavaliers(48-34, 22-19 away) and the Boston Celtics (64-18, 37-4 home). Up 1-0 on the series, the Celtics will host the Cavaliers at the TD Garden, where they finished 37-4 on the season. In the second game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals,
Donovan Mitchell
and the Cavaliers find themselves as 13.5-point underdogs heading into tonight's matchup.
Both teams have been without key big men for the series. For the Celtics, Kristaps Porzingis has been unable to suit up with a calf injury. Cleveland center Jarrett Allen is again uncertain to play due to a rib injury.
With a 6-4 win/loss record against the Cavaliers, the Celtics are 2-1 against the spread in their last three meetings. Aside from Porzingis, this is a fairly healthy Boston team, which, in my eyes, hasn't reached their maximum potential yet in this series. With Derrick White playing out of his mind,
Jayson Tatum
is the third-leading scorer so far. Leading the way with 32 points per game, Jaylen Brown joins a Celtics unit with depth and heavy hitters beside him.
THE BOSTON CELTICS LEAD THE SERIES 1-0 OVER THE CAVALIERS
Favored by 12.5 points, the Celtics demolished the Cavaliers 120-95 in game one. With star guard Mitchell leading the way with 33 points, Cleveland's defense was abysmal, especially in the second and final quarter. Shooting 41.1 percent from the floor, and 26.2 percent from deep, the Cavaliers couldn't find their stride. Challenged on the boards, Mitchell (Spida) and company couldn't overcome the C's. Left completely gassed, Spida was the leading scoring for the Cavs. The remainder of the Cavaliers starters finished 20-46 (43.5 %) from the field.
With tip-off set to take place at 7:00 p.m. ET, the matchup will take place at the TD Garden, located in Boston, Massachusetts. Let's dive into how to bet on tonight's game, where I've compiled all the necessary data, odds, and statistics to facilitate informed betting predictions for Thursday, May 9.
BOSTON CELTICS VS. MIAMI HEAT FAN DUEL ODDS FOR MAY 9
MONEY LINE
- CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: +610
- BOSTON CELTICS: -900
SPREAD
- CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: +13
- BOSTON CELTICS:-13
OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)
- OVER: 212.5 (-110)
- UNDER: 212.5 (-110)
BEST ODDS FOR CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS. BOSTON CELTICS
- BetMGM currently has the best Celtics money line odds at -900.
- The Boston Celtics are
13-point favorites
against the Cleveland Cavaliers FanDuel currently has the best odds currently at -110.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers are the
underdogs
by 13 points to cover the spread tonight. Caesars currently has the best odds at -110 for Cleveland to cover the spread
- Caesars currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at -105 for the over (212.5), and BetMGM for the under -110 (212.5)
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CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS. BOSTON CELTICS INJURY REPORT
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS INJURY REPORT
- CRAIG PORTER JR: OUT- ANKLE
- JARRETT ALLEN : QUES THURS - RIBS
- DEAN WADE:OUT - KNEE
- TY JEROME: OUT - ANKLE
BOSTON CELTICS INJURY REPORT INJURY REPORT
- KRISTAPS PORZINGIS: OUT - CALF
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS POST-SEASON STATISTICS & BETTING TRENDS
- *ATS = Against the Spread
- *O/U = Over/Under
- Best out of 16 current playoff teams
Last 5 Games 2-3
Last 10 Games 5-5
Season ATS Record 41-49-0
Season O/U Record 44-45-1
Last 5 Games ATS 1-4
Last 10 Games ATS 4-6
Last 5 Games O/U 3-2
Last 10 Games O/U 6-4
Offensive Rating (Rank) 100.3 (16)
Defensive Rating (Rank) 108.0 (5)
Points Per Game (Rank) 95.8 (14)
Pace (Rank) 95.31 (5)
Opponent Points Per Game (Rank) 102.8 (6)
Three-Point Percentage (Rank) 28.3 % (15)
Rebounds Per Game (Rank) 40.8 (13)
Last 10 Games ATS Wins: Orlando (-5.5, -5.5,-3)
BOSTON CELTICS POST-SEASON STATISTICS & BETTING TRENDS
- *ATS = Against the Spread
- *O/U = Over/Under
- Best out of 16 current playoff teams
Last 5 Games 4-1
Last 10 Games 7-3
Season ATS Record 46-37-5
Season O/U Record 45-41-2
Last 5 Games ATS 4-1
Last 10 Games ATS 6-3-1
Last 5 Games O/U 3-2
Last 10 Games O/U 6-4
Offensive Rating (Rank) 119.8 (4)
Defensive Rating (Rank) 100.9 (3)
Points Per Game (Rank) 109.8 (5)
Pace (Rank) 91.75 (14)
Opponent Points Per Game (Rank) 92.7 (2)
Three-Point Percentage (Rank) 38.6 % (3)
Rebounds Per Game (Rank) 47.2 (1)
Last 10 Games ATS Wins: Charlotte (-8), Miami (-14.5, -9.5,-10.5, -13.5), Cleveland (-12.5)
HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS: CAVALIERS VS. CELTICS
Season Matchups:
Game 1: Boston 120, Cleveland 113 ( Cleveland +11, Over 227).
Game 2: Boston 116, Cleveland 107 (Boston -8.5, Under 227.5)
Game 3: Cleveland 105, Celtics 104 (Cleveland +8.5, Under 217)
Playoffs Game 1: Boston 120, Cleveland 95 (Boston -12.5, Over 211)
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SPREAD: BOSTON CELTICS TO COVER
The Celtics will get home court advantage, where they are 3-1 in the postseason at the TD Garden. Despite finishing as the no. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers are injury riddled, and been inconsistent at times in the season. With Celtics killer Dean Wade listed out for tonight's matchup, Donovan Mitchell will be challenged once again to carry the workload. Having put up 33 points, Mitchell was spent by the fourth quarter. Wondering how long he can keep up the intensity, Mitchell and the Cavaliers once again face a Celtics team that's yet to unleash their lethal potential. Well, I take that back, we saw Boston turn on the jets in game one.
6-3-1 against the spread in the last ten games, the Celtics have an impressive 25-18-2 record covering the spread at home games. 46-37-5 against the spread this season, Boston is overpowering the Cavaliers in every category so far. While 12.5 is a large spread, that's been the norm for Boston in the playoffs. With the lowest favorable spread line of 9.5 points against Miami in game 3, Boston continues to be named as the favorite, by a large margin.
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THE CELTICS HAVE CONSISTENTLY BEEN FAVORED BY LARGE SPREAD MARGINS
Tonight, the Celtics head into the matchup once again favored heavily against the Cavaliers. Valued at -12.5 in game one, Boston will hold the exact same spread for game two. Given the Cavaliers were 22-19 on the road, they boasted a horrific 19-26-0 spread record away from home. Although many are fading the public and the Celtics tonight, there's several reasons why I'm hot on Boston to cover tonight.
THE CELTICS X-FACTOR IS DERRICK WHITE
Let's face it, the Celtics didn't put their foot on the gas until the end of the third and into the fourth quarter. Having won by 25, Boston didn't need their biggest star, Jayson Tatum, to take over the game. In fact, he finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, hitting 100 percent of his points from the charity stripe. The presence of Tatum alone draws so much attention, it's opening up tons of space for other players. With Jaylen Brown leading the pack with 32 points, three other starters finished with points in double figures. Quite frankly, we watched Donovan Mitchell fight for his life, while the C's mainly coasted throughout the first matchup.
The x-factor for the Celtics is Derrick White, and his increasing confidence. Averaging 22.8 points, on 50 percent three-point shooting in the playoffs, White is playing on an unreal level right now. Pouring in 25 points, on 7-12 shots beyond in game one just shows this is not a fluke. Derrick White is here to stay, and he's here to show why he's the most underrated player in the NBA. With any given player with the ability to take over at any time, Boston's locked in. The fact that the Celtics bench put in 24 points, while Mitchell was doing everything he could spoke volumes.
THE CAVALIERS HAVE BEEN INCONSISTENT
Although Darius Garland and Mitchell remain one of the most talented backcourt duos in the league, Garland hasn't been the same since his jaw injury early this season. Inconsistent, Garland struggled to find his offensive rhythm, and and even facilitating at times. Along with their shooting woes, the Cavaliers lost their battle on the glass, especially on the offensive boards. Given Boston is third in defensive rating in the playoffs, they will make Cleveland work for every shot, and that starts with Mitchell.
Overall, Cleveland struggled to advance to the semifinals against an Orlando Magic team, who's young and inexperienced. Since none of the Celtics starters are defensively liabilities, they've know held their last four opponents to 95 points and below. To me, Cleveland lacks an identity on offense, and their injuries don't help. Dead last in three-point percentage, and offensive rating, they have their backs against the wall.
Boasting a +17.1 point differential in the playoffs, the Celtics are too powerful to take a backseat this series to a Cavaliers team , who has a -7.0 point differential. When Mitchell is gassed, who will take over for him tonight? Cleveland has yet to show someone other than Mitchell can show up in prime situations. Too inconsistent, I'll take the points for Boston. If you're looking to bet on the NBA tonight, give me Celtics to cover the spread tonight at home.
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