The Boston Celtics welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to TD Garden for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Action begins at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 26 and can be seen on ABC.
The Celtics are hoping for a better outcome after their 103-95 loss to the Cavaliers on Thursday. Jae Crowder had a solid performance, putting up 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists for Boston. LeBron James claimed his 22nd double-double of the season with 31 points and 11 rebounds.
It will be a showdown of conflicting tempos, as the fast-paced Celtics (ranked fifth in the NBA in possessions per game) will look to push the slow-paced Cavaliers (26th in possessions per game).
The odds for Boston and Cleveland are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Celtics come into this game 40-42 Straight Up (SU) and 49-33 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (8-2). Boston is one of the best passing teams in the league with an average of 24.5 assists per game.
As for their opponent, the Cavaliers have a record of 40-42 ATS and 53-29 SU. Cleveland has a good SU record over the last 10 games (7-3), but have a 3-7 record ATS.
The Cavaliers’ win over Boston in their last clash brought the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. On the other hand, the Celtics hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. In these last 10 matchups, Cleveland held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times, with Boston controlling all three of these areas once.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, ATS Winner – CLE
Notes
Cleveland’s offense and Boston’s defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Cleveland scores an average of 0.0 points per game, while Boston gives up 0.0 points per game.
Cleveland and Boston are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Cleveland puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Boston gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Cavaliers are 39-7 on the season. When the Celtics score fewer than 100, they are a poor 11-22.
Cleveland is a poor 14-22 when it gives up 100 or more points. Boston has a 29-20 record when it hits triple digits.
The Cavaliers have the third-best offensive rating in the NBA (108.1). The Celtics are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 101.6 (ranked 12th).
Cleveland has an average field goal percentage of 45.8% (ranked eighth). Boston is a subpar 8-29 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Boston attempts 24.6 three pointers and Cleveland attempts 27.5 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Celtics are 20-18 while the Cavaliers have a winning 34-21 record.
The Boston Celtics, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.85, rank fourth in the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a lower A/TO (1.62), ranking 16th.
The Boston Celtics rebound 43.8 times per game and are ranked 13th. Ranked 18th, the Cleveland Cavaliers rebound 43.0 times per game.
The Cleveland Cavaliers rank 11th in offensive rebounding, while the Boston Celtics also rank 11th in defensive rebounds.
The Boston Celtics’ opponents have an average turnover percentage of 14.6% this season. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 19-20 SU when their TOV% is 14.6% or higher.
