Cavaliers vs Celtics Predictions & Odds (Oct. 28)
- The Cavaliers vs Celtics odds favor Boston by 5.5 points ahead of their Friday night matchup
- Cleveland enters play having won three in a row without starting PG Darius Garland (eye)
- Keep reading for the complete Cavaliers vs Celtics predictions and odds
Fresh off their first loss of the season, the Boston Celtics (3-1, 1-0 home) look to get back on track Friday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-1, 1-1 away).
The Celtics are back at home after a 2-1 road trip, knocking off Miami and Orlando before falling in Chicago. Oddsmakers are certainly expecting the reigning Eastern Conference champs to bounce back, as they opened the home team as the chalk in the NBA odds.
Cavaliers vs Celtics Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +5.5 (-110) | +190 | O 219 (-110) |
| Boston Celtics | -5.5 (-110) | -225 | U 219 (-110) |
Odds as of October 27 at DraftKings Sportsbook Ohio. See the latest on Ohio sports betting.
The Celtics are currently 5.5 point favorites, in a contest that features a total of 219. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET at TD Garden in Boston, MA, a building where the Celts have won 29 of their past 42 home games.
Boston Celtics Betting Analysis
Tuesday’s 120-102 loss in the Windy City started out promising. Boston raced out to a 19 point first quarter lead, but by the time the second quarter ended they were down by 11.
Jayson Tatum led the way offensively with 26 points, but only 11 of those came after the opening 15 minutes. Tatum entered play averaging just shy of 35 points per game, and currently sits tied for fourth in scoring.
Jayson Tatum’s last 3 games:
40 PTS – 6 REB – 1 AST
29 PTS – 5 REB – 4 AST
35 PTS – 12 REB – 4 AST pic.twitter.com/Fof4z0mfuM— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) October 23, 2022
Jaylen Brown added 21 points for the Celts, but the team shot a season low 37% from the field. They knocked down just 18 of their 48 three-point attempts, while getting outrebounded by 15 and outscored in the paint by 12.
Boston has surprisingly underwhelmed on defense so far, and that was the case versus the Bulls as well. They allowed Chicago to shoot 48% from the field and 47% from three.
The Celtics rank 19th in scoring defense through four games, and 21st in opponent field goal percentage. Don’t forget, this is virtually the same roster that led the league in defensive rating a season ago.
Grant Williams will serve a one game suspension for "recklessly making contact with and directing inappropriate language toward a game official"
(h/t @AhnFireDigital )
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) October 26, 2022
There are no new injuries to report on the Boston side, however forward Grant Williams will sit out after being suspended for making contact with an official in Chicago.
Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Analysis
Cleveland meanwhile, is fresh off three straight victories. They beat up on Orlando 103-92 last time out, thanks to a season-high 20 points from Evan Mobley.
Last year’s runner-up in the NBA ROY odds knocked down 9-of-15 shots, while fellow twin tower Jarrett Allen put up his third double-double (18 p, 13 reb) in four starts.
TWIN TOWERS‼️‼️‼️ @evanmobley @_bigjayy_ pic.twitter.com/i9Ihoj2hYx
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) October 27, 2022
The duo made up for a cold night from Donovan Mitchell and the absence of All-Star point guard Darius Garland. Mitchell shot just 26% from the field and finished with a season-low 14 points. Garland on the other hand, sat out his third straight game with an eye injury, and has already been ruled out versus the Celtics.
Without Garland, Cleveland has hovered around league average on offense. They rank 16th in scoring and 11th in field goal percentage.
#Cavs Darius Garland is officially listed OUT for tomorrow night’s game here in Boston.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) October 27, 2022
At the defensive end is where they do their best work. The Cavs are the NBA’s number two scoring defense behind only Milwaukee. They’re yielding the sixth lowest opponent field goal percentage and have yet to allow more than 108 points in any game.
Cavaliers vs Celtics Prediction
Cleveland hasn’t faced a gauntlet of offensive powerhouses but they did hold the Bulls, who just went for 120 versus Boston, to 96 points in Chicago. The Cavs yield the 11th fewest points in the paint, and the sixth fewest offensive rebounds.
They’ve got plenty of quality defenders to throw at Tatum and Brown, which should provide bettors with optimism that they can keep Boston in check.
The Celtics are clearly missing the rim protection of Robert Williams III, but Marcus Smart, Al Hortford and Derrick White are all plus defenders.
Without Garland, Cleveland isn’t nearly as efficient, and that should be on display against one of the leading NBA Championship odds contenders.
Pick: Under 219 (-110)
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As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
