Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 3/1/2023

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Where to watch: ESPN, NBCSB, BSOH

DraftKings: Celtics -5; BOS -205, CLE +175; O/U 219

FanDuel: Celtics -5; BOS -210, CLE +176; O/U 218.5

BetMGM: Celtics -5.5; BOS -200, CLE +160; O/U 218.5

Caesars: Celtics -5; BOS -208, CLE +175; O/U 219

Cavs: 39-25

Celtics: 44-18

The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting!

I don’t think we’re ever going to get tired of seeing the likes of a good old fashioned Eastern Conference showdown on a Wednesday. And we’ve got a good one in Boston on Wednesday when the Boston Celtics host the Cleveland Cavaliers, who look to take three out of four against the top-dog Celtics.

 

Cleveland can clinch the tiebreaker over Boston — not that it will ultimately matter if the Cavs can’t catch the Celtics – but this could absolutely mean something when it comes playoff time. The Celtics will come into this game six games ahead of the Cavs, who currently hold the No. 4 seed in the East. More on that below.

 

But the Cavs are coming off a 118-93 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday that ended a three-game losing streak. Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points, and Jarrett Allen had a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds to knock off the seemingly-surging Raptors at home.

 

“We hadn’t played our best basketball the last three games, so we just came out and were aggressive,” said Mitchell, who scored 13 points in both the second and third quarters. “Darius got us going scoring-wise and the rest of us took over from there.”

 

That win also ended a four-game losing streak against the spread for the Cavs. They had dropped three games when the line was between -3 and +3, while the other was as 16-point favorites against the lowly San Antonio Spurs. Cleveland won only by 8 that game.

 

“This was a big game for us and Donovan is a guy who shines brightest when we need him the most,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Most important, he’s a part of the team and I can’t say enough about that.”

 

The Celtics will try and bounce back after losing 109-94 to the New York Knicks on Monday to end a three-game winning streak. Two days after Jayson Tatum hit a step-back 3 to beat the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics ran into the red-hot New York Knicks, who have now won six straight and are 2.5 games back of the Cavs for the No. 4 seed.

 

Tatum had one of his worst shooting games of the season, going 6 of 18 for 14 points, but he did have nine assists and tried to help the team out in other ways. Marcus Smart led the way with 19 points. Boston did not have All-Star forward Jaylen Brown due to personal reasons.

 

“It wasn't our best night shooting the ball," forward Al Horford said. "They were the better team tonight.”

 

The Celtics have still covered in seven of their last nine games despite failing as 2-point favorites on Monday. The line has been sporadic with Boston’s latest games against the top teams, including a 9.5-point mark against Milwaukee on Valentine’s Day. But the Celtics are still a top team, and if they get Brown back for this game, that’s going to help them shake off what was a tough game on Sunday.

 

Watch how the line unfolds going forward. It will have an impact if Brown can’t go, but I’ll be interested to see how Cleveland handles this game on the road and tries to beat Boston again. Celtics 116, Cavs 110

Cavs are 1-9 ATS as a road underdog this season.

Cavs are 5-1 ATS after winning 3 of 4 this season.

Celtics are 6-1 ATS as a home favorite of 6 points or less this season.

PG: Darius Garland

SG: Donovan Mitchell

SF: Isaac Okoro

PF: Evan Mobley

C: Jarrett Allen

PG: Marcus Smart

SG: Jaylen Brown

SF: Jayson Tatum

PF: Al Horford

C: Robert Williams III

Injury report

None for either team.