NBA Odds: Cavaliers (even)
The Boston Celtics will travel to Quicken Loans Arena to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 3 and will air on CSN-NE and FSN-OH.
The Cavaliers lost a tough one against the Rockets 105-103 on Sunday. LeBron James was the game’s high scorer, finishing with 37. The Celtics, meanwhile, are coming off a 106-101 loss at the hands of the Warriors on Sunday. Tyler Zeller played well for Boston, accumulating 17 points, six rebounds, and one block.
It will be a tale of two tempos, as the fast-breaking Celtics (ranked third in the league in possessions per game) take on the half-court-oriented Cavaliers (26th).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Cavaliers won the first game 122-121. James scored a game-high 41 points.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Cavaliers enter the game with records of 37-24 Straight Up (SU) and 30-31 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 23-12 SU and 16-19 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.
Across the court, Boston has a SU record of 23-34 and an ATS record of 33-24. Boston has done particularly well ATS over its past ten matchups, going 8-2. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the Celtics, who are known for distributing the ball with 24.5 assists per game.
Following the Cavaliers’ latest win over Boston, Cleveland is still behind in the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 3-7 SU. However, with a 6-4 record, the Cavaliers have the advantage ATS. Cleveland and Boston each held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once in their last 10 meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, ATS Winner – CLE
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games.
Cleveland is 18-4 SU in its last 22 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cleveland’s last 8 games at home.
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Cleveland is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games when playing Boston.
Cleveland is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston.
Cleveland is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing at home against Boston.
On average, Boston puts up 101.6 points per game (ranked 11th). Cleveland ranks 12th in points allowed per game with 98.8.
Cleveland ranks 12th in points allowed per home game (97.5 PPG), while Boston ranks 10th in points per away game with 100.6.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Celtics are 17-5 on the season. When the Cavaliers score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 7-19.
The Boston Celtics have a subpar 6-29 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 30-5 when they hit the century mark.
Boston’s offense and Cleveland’s defense both rank 18th this season. Boston has an offensive rating of 101.4 and Cleveland has a defensive rating of 103.5.
Cleveland has an average field goal percentage of 45.5% (ranked ninth). Boston is an underachieving 3-24 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Cleveland Cavaliers attempt 26.4 three point field goals per game and the Boston Celtics attempt 24.1 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Cleveland has a 20-17 record and Boston has a 9-13 record.
Cleveland has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.62 this season (ranked 16th). Boston ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.81 (ranked sixth).
The Cleveland Cavaliers rebound 43.1 times per game and are ranked 17th. Ranked ninth, the Boston Celtics rebound 44.1 times per game.
The Boston Celtics rank 12th in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 21st in defensive rebounding.
Cleveland has forced an average turnover percentage of 13.4% this season. Boston has a losing 11-18 record when its TOV% is 13.4% or higher.
