Cavaliers vs. Celtics Predictions: NBA Picks and Best Bets

Cleveland Cavaliers (15-0 SU, 11-4 ATS) vs. Boston Celtics (11-3 SU, 7-7 ATS)

When: Tuesday, November 19th, 7:00 PM (ET)

Where: TD Garden, MA, Boston

TV: TNT

Point Spread: Cle +4.5/Bos -4.5

Total: 235

Money Line: Cleveland Cavaliers +158/-188

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Notable Injuries

Cavaliers

• Caris LeVert (Questionable) Knee
• Dean Wade (Out) Ankle
• Max Strus (Out) Ankle
• Isaac Okoro (Questionable) Ankle
• Sam Merrill (Questionable) Ankle

Celtics

• Kristaps Porzingis (Out) Foot
• Payton Pritchard (Questionable) Thumb

At 7:00 ET, the Celtics (-188) will host the Cavaliers (+158) in an Eastern Conference matchup. Boston is currently favored by 4.5 points, and the over/under line is set at 235.

This game will be played at TD Garden in Boston and can be seen on TNT. The Cavs are currently 15-0 and have a 15-game winning streak. The Celtics are 11-3 and have won two straight.

Recent Form

The Cavaliers improved to 15-0 this season with a 128-114 win over the Hornets on Sunday. Cleveland, who were -10 point favorites, covered the spread, and the total score of 242 points went over the 225.5-point line.

Cleveland started strong with an 11-0 run, extending their lead from 7-5 to 18-5. After a 40-point 3rd quarter by Charlotte, the Cavs clamped down in the 4th, holding the Hornets to just 15 points while scoring 26 of their own.

Boston improved to 11-3 on the season with a 126-123 win over the Raptors on Saturday. The Celtics were heavy favorites at home, but Toronto kept it close, and Boston didn’t cover the -16.5 spread. The game’s total points of 249.5 exceeded the O/U line of 229.5 by 19.5 points.

Boston went on a 12-0 run early, turning a 4-4 tie into a 16-4 lead. However, the Raptors battled back, and the teams were separated by just one point heading into the 4th quarter, where Toronto outscored Boston 29-28.

The Historicals

In terms of betting vs the spread, the Cavaliers have gone 3-2, but the Celtics actually have a positive scoring differential. In these meetings, Boston has averaged 108 points per contest while allowing 101. In these matchups, the teams have put together an over-under mark of 3-2. Combined, they averaged 209 points in these games.

Analysis

The Cavaliers’ offense shined in their win over the Hornets, shooting 57.1% from the field and hitting 43.3% of their threes, making 13 from deep. Darius Garland led the way with 25 points and 12 assists, while Ty Jerome added 24 points, hitting four threes at 57.1%.

Evan Mobley contributed 23 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 75% from the field. He scored 10 points in the opening quarter, while Jarrett Allen added 9 of his 21 points in the 3rd.

Despite giving up 40 points in the 3rd quarter, the Cavaliers tightened up defensively in the 4th, allowing just 15 points to secure the win over the Hornets. Cleveland allowed 114 points on 40% shooting from the field.

The Cavaliers struggled to defend the three, as the Hornets hit 20 threes at a 38% clip. Cleveland sent Charlotte to the line 12 times, where they made ten free throws. The Cavaliers finished with 39 defensive rebounds but gave up 17 offensive boards.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 27 points and seven assists in their 126-123 win over the Raptors, while Jayson Tatum added 24 points, including 13 in the first quarter and another 6 in overtime. Derrick White and Al Horford each contributed 18 points, with Horford scoring 9 in the 4th quarter.

Boston hit 21 threes despite shooting just 34.4% from deep and 44.4% overall. Tatum connected on five threes, shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc.

Defensively, the Celtics gave up 123 points to the Raptors, allowing 26 in the 1st quarter, 28 in the 2nd, 31 in the 3rd, and 29 in the 4th. Boston struggled to contain Toronto’s shooting, as the Raptors hit 51% from the field.

Boston did well in limiting Toronto’s three-point shooting, allowing just nine threes on 39% shooting. The Raptors also went 14/21 from the free-throw line. The Celtics finished with 28 defensive rebounds while giving up 15 offensive boards and recorded 2 steals and six blocks.

Betting Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Cavaliers have a straight-up record of 8-2 while going 7-3 vs. the spread. The team averaged 117 points per game in this stretch.
• Across the Celtics’ last ten home games, the team averaged 118 points per game while allowing 110. Their record vs. the spread in these contests was 6-4 while going 8-2 straight-up.
• Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Cavaliers have a straight-up record of 3-7. But, their mark vs. the spread was just 5-5.
• Through their last three matchups as the betting favorite, the Celtics have a good straight-up record, but their ATS mark is just 1-2.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

Even with their perfect 15-0 records, the Cavaliers are +4.5 point underdogs tonight vs Boston. Even with some of their role players banged up, the Cavs have still been rolling. However, one thing to note is that they have had a fairly soft schedule lately. Look for Cleveland’s undefeated streak to come to an end tonight, and I not only think Boston wins, but they cover at -4.5.

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