There are a few interesting duels this evening in the NBA, but certainly the one to watch is the meeting between two top seeds in the NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, scheduled for Saturday, 11:00 PM BST.
With that in mind, I've prepared some of the best Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics predictions for you, along with a full Cavs vs Celtics preview, including team form, injuries and other news, plus the latest Cavs vs Celtics odds.
So, let's take a closer look at this game and what we can expect from it.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics predictions
Moneyline
Boston Celtics to win
4/5
Total points
Under 234.5
9/10
To make 4+ threes
Jayson Tatum
10/11
All odds for my Cavs vs Celtics picks were taken from Paddy Power and are subject to change at any time.
Boston Celtics to win
These two teams have met in the playoffs last season and the Cavs struggled a lot since Boston recorded a “gentlemen's sweep”, winning that series 4-1. They also met once this season already and the Celtics beat Cleveland in that game, inflicting them the first loss of the season.
The Cavs have a few rotation pieces out with injuries tonight and unless the Celtics end up missing some of their players listed as game-time decisions (check below for injury information), the Celtics certainly have the edge ahead of this game. After all, the Cavs have lost twice in a row, while the Celtics are on a seven-game winning streak, plus the Celtics will host the game.
Because of all this, my first Cavs vs Celtics tips is for the Celtics to win the game.
Under 234.5 total points
While this is a meeting between two of the highest-scoring teams in the NBA, I don't expect this to be a high-scoring game. After all, this is a duel between two teams battling for the top seed in the league, so I expect a low-scoring affair, similar to the playoffs last season.
After all, all five games between the Cavs and the Celtics in the playoffs last season have gone under 234.5 points and if we go even further back, we can see that only two of the last twelve duels between them have gone over this line. So, under 234.5 total points is the second of my Cavs vs Celtics tips for this evening.
Jayson Tatum to score 4+ points
The last of my Cavs vs Celtics picks is for Jason Tatum to make at least four threes. Tatum has been shooting many threes this season, 10.6 per game, and he's averaging exactly 4.0 threes per game.
However, he's also scored at least four threes in five of his last seven games and I don't see a reason why he can't get hot from deep against Cleveland this evening as well.
Cavaliers vs Celtics preview – teams news, injuries, and predicted lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers preview and latest news
The long-undefeated Cavaliers have lost twice in a row now, both times to the Atlanta Hawks, and their third loss of the season came less than two weeks ago against the defending champions and their next opponent Boston Celtic. Can the Cavs fight back to keep the top seed in the league?
Cleveland enter this game without injured Dean Wade, Max Strus, and Emoni Bates.
The Cavs enter this match with a 17-3 record.
Cavaliers starting lineup: Garland, Mitchell, Okoro, Mobley, Allen
Boston Celtics preview and latest news
With seven wins in a row, the Celtics have been cruising lately, especially since they got Porzingis back from an injury that forced him to miss the start of the season. The defending champions have already closed the gap between them and their next opponent and a win tonight could see them take the top seed in the entire league.
Meanwhile, the Celtics have a few players listed as game-time decisions for tonight, including Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White, Al Horford, and Jrue Holiday. Considering they all played in the team's last game and that this isn't a back-to-back game for the Celtics, I expect all of them to play, especially since the Celtics can overtake the Cavs as the top seed in the NBA a win.
The Celtics enter this match with an 16-3 record.
Celtics starting lineup: Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis
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