The Boston Celtics host a contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Action begins at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 12 and can be seen on FSN-OH and CSN-NE.
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 Cavaliers lead the season series against the Celtics two games to one, but fell short in their most recent game, 99-90. Despite the loss, Love had a standout performance with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four three-pointers.
The odds for Boston and Cleveland are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Celtics have gone 37-42 Straight Up (SU) and 46-33 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 25-24 SU and 29-20 ATS against the Eastern Conference. Boston is one of the best passing teams in the league with an average of 24.3 assists per game.
In the other locker room, the Cavaliers have 51-28 SU and 39-40 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Cleveland is 33-16 SU and 22-27 ATS.
The Celtics’ win over Cleveland in their last game bumped their SU record to 6-4 over the Cavaliers in the last 10 meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Over the last 10 matchups, Cleveland held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice. Boston performed this feat once.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, ATS Winner – CLE
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston’s last 7 games.
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games at home.
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Boston is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games at home.
Boston is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games when playing Cleveland.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston’s last 9 games when playing Cleveland.
Boston is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Boston’s offense and Cleveland’s defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Boston scores 101.2 points per game (ranked 12th). Cleveland gives up 98.3 points per game, which is also ranked 12th.
On average, Boston scores 101.2 points per home game (ranked 17th), while Cleveland allows 100.9 points per away game (ranked 15th).
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Celtics are 28-6 on the season. When the Cavaliers score fewer than 100, they are a losing 11-23.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Celtics are just 9-36 this season. Cleveland is an outstanding 40-5 when it hits the century mark.
The Celtics have an offensive rating of 101.6 (ranked 19th). The Cavaliers rank 17th for their defensive rating of 103.1.
The Boston Celtics average 99.6 possessions per game and 1.016 points per possession, while the Cleveland Cavaliers earn fewer possessions (95.3) but more points per possession (1.083).
Cleveland has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.9% (ranked fourth in the league}. Boston is an abysmal 4-25 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Boston Celtics, ranked fifth in the NBA, average 24.3 assists per game. The Cleveland Cavaliers make 22.0 assists (ranked 11th)
The Cavaliers average 4.1 blocks per game (ranked 26th), while the Celtics rank last in the league with just 3.6.
The Boston Celtics rank 11th in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 21st in defensive rebounding.
The Boston Celtics make an average of 8.1 steals per game. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 22-21 when they allow 8 or more steals.
