Celtics vs Cavaliers Picks & Odds (Mar. 6)
- Cleveland is laying 1.5 points in the Celtics vs Cavaliers odds on Monday
- Donovan Mitchell (hand, finger) is listed as questionable
- Check out the latest Celtics vs Cavaliers odds here, plus injury updates and predictions
A potential second round NBA Eastern Conference playoff matchup goes down Monday in Cleveland. The Cavaliers, who sit fourth in the East’s draw of the NBA playoff bracket, will host the second place Celtics.
Neither team enters in particularly great form, while Boston will be playing its third game in four nights. Oddsmakers expect the busy schedule to take a toll on the Celtics, as they opened up Cleveland as the home chalk in the NBA odds.
Celtics vs Cavaliers Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | +1.5 (-110) | +110 | O 219.5 (-110) |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | -1.5 (-110) | -130 | U 219.5 (-110) |
Cleveland is currently a 1.5-point favorite, in a contest with a total of 219.5. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm ET at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH, and will mark the fourth and final meeting between these two teams this season.
Odds as of March 5 at DraftKings Sportsbook Massachusetts. See the top Massachusetts sports betting apps.
Celtics vs Cavaliers Betting Trends
The Cavaliers (40-26, 27-7 home) have taken two of three from Boston so far this season, winning once at home and once on the road. They took the first two meetings at the beginning of the year, before Boston bounced back with a 117-113 victory earlier this month.
Cleveland began Sunday in fourth place in the conference, a game and a half up on the fifth place Knicks. The Cavs are fresh off a 114-90 rout of the Pistons, sweeping the season series against Detroit. Darius Garland scored a game-high 21 points in just 24 minutes of action, while his backcourt partner Donovan Mitchell splashed 20 points.
Cleveland shot 50% from the field and held the Pistons to a 40% field goal percentage, and 25% from long range. The victory improved the Cavs to a 27-7 at home, matching Milwaukee for the East’s most home victories.
The Cavs have reeled off six wins in their last seven contests at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, but this one potentially came at a cost. Mitchell suffered a sprained finger in the third quarter versus Detroit, putting his status on Monday in jeopardy.
Pretty sure Donovan Mitchell's finger isn't supposed to bend that way pic.twitter.com/q5mNDnXmjf
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) March 5, 2023
As of Sunday he’s currently listed as questionable, and Cleveland will need its leading scorer if they want to hang with the Celtics.
The Cavaliers are 5-6 without Mitchell this season, but only one of those victories was against a playoff bound team. The lone win came against Milwaukee, who were missing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
Boston (45-19, 20-11 away) meanwhile, is dealing with injury concerns of their own. Both starting center Robert Williams III (hamstring) and backup guard Malcolm Brogdon (ankle) sat out Sunday’s tilt with the Knicks. Williams is out for another 7-10 days at the very least, while Brogdon’s status for Monday is unknown.
The Celtics entered Sunday’s contest with New York having lost two of three. They were recently overtaken by the Bucks atop the East standings, and have struggled offensively over their last four games. Boston is averaging just 105 points per outing during that stretch, 12 fewer than their season long average.
Jayson Tatum is struggling against the Sixers defense 🔒 pic.twitter.com/4ROgififJR
— ESPN (@espn) February 26, 2023
Leading scorer Jayson Tatum has been held to 22 points or less in three of those four outings, including just 16 points last week versus the Cavs. Jaylen Brown is also struggling, averaging only 22.6 points over his last eight starts. The Celts dynamic duo average a combined 57 points per outing, so the decrease in offense from their stars is concerning.
Celtics vs Cavaliers Prediction
Boston’s recent offensive struggles, plus the uncertainty of Mitchell’s status should put under 219.5 squarely on your betting radar. Also working in favor of a low scoring game is the defensive prowess of both these teams.
Cleveland leads the East in defensive rating, and ranks one-tenth of a point behind Memphis for the best mark in the NBA. The Celtics check in at number four in that category, and have seen three of their last four games fall short of the total.
NBA Defensive Rating Ranks
| Team | Rank |
|---|---|
| Memphis Grizzlies | 1 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 2 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 3 |
| Boston Celtics | 4 |
| Miami Heat | 5 |
Two of the Cavaliers last three have gone under as well, and each of the past four games they’ve played without Mitchell have resulted in a sub-219 total.
Regardless of whether Mitchell plays or not, Cleveland’s defense always shows up at home. The Cavaliers yield just 106.7 points per 100 possessions inside their own building, which extrapolated over an entire season would be three points fewer than the Grizzlies’ NBA best mark.
Pick: Under 219.5 (-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.
