Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 03/06/2023

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Monday, March 6, 2023

Venue:  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH

Where to Watch:  BSOH

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Celtics +1.5, Cavaliers -1.5; Over/Under:  219.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Celtics +2.5, Cavaliers -2.5; Over/Under:  220 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Celtics +1.5, Cavaliers -1.5; Over/Under:  219.5 points

Boston Celtics:  45-19 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

Cleveland Cavaliers:  40-26 (2nd place, Central Division)

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Boston Celtics:  7-3 last 10

Cleveland Cavaliers:  6-4 last 10

The Celtics are coming into this game with a 45-19 record overall and they are 20-11 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They still have a game against the New York Knicks on Sunday that needs to be played first as this is the 2nd leg of a back-to-back for them on Monday. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Brooklyn Nets in their last game. Jaylen Brown led the team in points in that game with 35 while Jayson Tatum was next on the team with 22 points. Marcus Smart led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Jayson Tatum led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 48.8% from the field, 30% from 3-point range, and 70% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112.1 PPG against them. The Celtics have an ATS record of 34-30 this season and their O/U record is 31-31-2.

The Cavaliers are coming into this game with a 40-26 record overall and they are 27-7 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a win against the Detroit Pistons in their last game. Darius Garland led the team in points in that game with 21 while Donovan Mitchell was next on the team with 20 points. Darius Garland led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Evan Mobley led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 49.5% from the field, 41.2% from 3-point range, and 55.6% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 112 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 106.4 PPG against them. The Cavaliers have an ATS record of 35-28-3 this season and their O/U record is 31-35.

The current betting odds have the Cavaliers listed as a 1.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cavaliers have been really good this year with their 40-26 record overall as they are one of the better teams in the East right now. They will have some momentum here coming off a win in their last game and they have been a really good home team too with their 27-7 home record. The Celtics have also been having a great season with their 45-19 record overall making them one of the best teams in the East this season too but they have actually been holding down the number 1 seed in the East for a majority of the season before losing it to the Bucks recently. They have still been a great road team too as they are 20-11 in their road games but they just lost to the Nets recently as they have been losing some steam and this is a bad situation for them on a back-to-back here where they are traveling. The Celtics also beat the Cavs just over a week ago back at home so the Cavs are going to have some extra motivation in this game on their home court. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cavaliers to cover the spread in this game. 

Celtics Cavaliers Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Monday, March 6, 2023 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Cavaliers 121 Celtics 114.

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Boston Celtics: 28-18 ATS on the road when the line is +3 to -3. 12-2 UNDER when the line is +3 to -3. 20-9 UNDER in road games.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 16-24 ATS after a division game. 5-10 ATS off a home win against a division rival. 26-12 UNDER after allowing 95 points or less.

Boston Celtics:  R. Williams III (C) Out Sun - Hamstring. M. Brogdon (SG) Ques Sun - Ankle. D. Gallinari (SF) out for season - Knee.

Cleveland Cavaliers:  None.

“They beat us in every analytical category possible. If we don't commit to the margins, no matter how hard we play, we're not going to win.” - Joe Mazzulla after his team’s loss against the Nets in their game on Friday.

“We need to take care of business because we know what having home-court advantage means. But we want to keep our guys’ focus on the day-to-day things, instead of being caught up in the big picture.” - J.B. Bickerstaff after his team’s win against the Pistons in their game on Saturday.

PG Marcus Smart

SG Jaylen Brown

SF Jayson Tatum

PF Al Horford

C Mike Muscala

PG Darius Garland

SG Donovan Mitchell 

SF Isaac Okoro

PF Evan Mobley

C Jarrett Allen

PPG: J. Tatum (30.2)

APG: M. Smart (6.8)

Reb/G: J. Tatum (8.8)

PPG: D. Mitchell (27.4)

APG: D. Garland (7.9)

Reb/G: J. Allen (9.8)

Coaches:

Boston Celtics: Joe Mazzulla (1st season)

Cleveland Cavaliers: J.B. Bickerstaff (5th season)