Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers 03/06/2023 NBA Preview and Prediction

The Boston Celtics head to Ohio to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a showdown between playoff-bound Eastern Conference teams.

Boston has dropped to second place in the Eastern Conference standings with their 45-20 SU record. The Celtics are currently trailing the Milwaukee Bucks by 1.5 games in the East ladder board. Boston is just 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played and has lost their last two games played.

Cleveland is 4th in the East standings and the Cavaliers are just 2.5 games behind the no. 3 ranked Philadelphia 76ers. They are also 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played and the Cavs are just 2-3 SU in their last 5 games played. Cleveland has the second-best home record in the East at 27-7 SU.

Boston Celtics

Boston tries to get back on track on Monday night in Cleveland. The Celtics have been the East’s no. 1 team for most of the season but they have seen the Milwaukee Bucks overtake them after losing three out of their last 4 games played.

The Celtics played at the TD Garden on Sunday and dropped a double-overtime contest to the New York Knicks, their second loss to the Knicks in their last 5 games played. Boston played without Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III. They were led by Jayson Tatum who had 40 points,11 rebounds, and six assists. Jaylen Brown also contributed 29 points while Al Horford added 20 points and 14 boards but missed the potential game-winning three-pointer.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from a loss to the Celtics last week by defeating the Detroit Pistons 114-90 last Saturday night. Cleveland is just 2-3 SU in their last five games played and they need to win as many games as they can if they want to catch up with the Sixers in the East team standings.

Darius Garland led the Cavs with 21 points while Donovan Mitchell scored 20 before leaving the game during the third quarter with an injury. Evan Mobley recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Cavs got back on track by defeating Detroit.

Celtics vs Cavaliers SU Prediction

The Celtics are 12-5 SU in their last 17 games played against the Cavaliers. Boston is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games played in Cleveland.

Boston Celtics SU trends:

• The Celtics are 10-5 SU in their last 15 games played.
• The Celtics are 20-11 SU in their 31 road games played this season.
• The Celtics are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games against the Central Division.
• The Celtics are 28-15 SU in their last 43 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Celtics are 14-7 SU in their last 21 home games against the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland Cavaliers SU trends:

• The Cavaliers are 9-4 SU in their last 13 games played.
• The Cavaliers are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games played at home.
• The Cavaliers are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games played against the Atlantic Division.
• The Cavaliers are 24-13 SU in their last 37 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Cavaliers are 17-3 SU in their last 20 home games played against the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics have yielded the lead in the Eastern Conference to the Milwaukee Bucks with back-to-back losses. Boston has been the best regular season game this season but they are struggling at the wrong time. With the Bucks recently winning 16 straight games, Milwaukee has been able to catch up and overtake the Celtics at the top of the East Mountain.

Boston has lost three out of their last four games played, including two defeats against the red-hot Knicks. They played the Knicks on Sunday in Boston and lost in double overtime. This will be a back-to-back schedule for them.

Cleveland has likewise struggled with a 2-3 SU record in their last 5 games played. Like the Celtics, the Cavs are just 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played but they are coming off a strong win over the Detroit Pistons in their most recent game.

The Cavs are one of the best home teams in the NBA this season with only 7 losses in 34 games played at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Donovan Mitchell has been listed as questionable here after leaving Saturday’s game versus the Pistons with a left hand and finger sprain.

Give me the Celtics to end their losing skid at 2 games. Boston has injured pieces but Donovan Mitchell might not play or won’t be 100% on Monday night. I’ll take the Celtics to win.

Prediction: Boston Celtics +130

Celtics vs Cavaliers ATS Prediction

The Celtics are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games played against the Cavaliers. Boston is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games played in Cleveland.

Boston Celtics ATS trends:

• The Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
• The Celtics are 9-0 ATS in their last 9 games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game.
• The Celtics are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games playing on 0 days rest.
• The Celtics are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 games against a team with a winning % above .600.
• The Celtics are 23-8 ATS in their last 31 games when their starting 5 players combine for more than 160 minutes of the previous day.
• The Celtics are 35-17-1 ATS in their last 53 road games versus a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
• The Celtics are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 Monday games.
• The Celtics are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight-up loss.
• The Celtics are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS loss.
• The Celtics are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game
• The Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games against a team with a winning straight-up record.

Cleveland Cavaliers ATS trends:

• The Cavaliers are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight-up win of more than 10 points.
• The Cavaliers are 10-1-1 ATS in their last 12 home games versus a team with a road-winning percentage of greater than .600.
• The Cavaliers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following an ATS win.
• The Cavaliers are 19-6-2 ATS in their last 27 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
• The Cavaliers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight-up win.
• The Cavaliers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Cavaliers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games.
• The Cavaliers are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
• The Cavaliers are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
• The Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.

Boston is in a funk right now. The Celtics are just 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS in their last four games played. They are coming off a double-overtime loss to the New York Knicks in Boston on Sunday and will be playing in back-to-back games here. Boston is also without Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have been one of the best home teams in the NBA this season. Cleveland is 27-27 SU and 21-11-2 ATS when playing at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse this season. Like Boston, they are struggling as of late with a 2-3 SU record. However, the Cavs are 3-0 ATS in their last 3 games played overall. Donovan Mitchell is listed as questionable to play in this contest.

The Celtics have played well on the road and but the Cavs have been more impressive at home. Given that both teams aren’t at their best forms right now, I’ll take the team which has done very well in covering the spread at home.

Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers -3

Celtics vs Cavaliers Over/Under Prediction

The total has gone over in six out of the last 10 games played between these two teams. The under is 3-1 in their last four head-to-head games played in Cleveland.

Boston Celtics over/under trends:

• The over is 7-3 in the Celtics’ last 10 overall.
• The over is 5-1 in the Celtics’ last 6 games following a straight-up loss.
• The over is 16-4-1 in the Celtics’ last 21 games playing on 0 days rest.
• The over is 5-2-1 in the Celtics’ last 8 games when their starting 5 players combine for more than 160 minutes on the previous day.
• The over is 7-3 in the Celtics’ last 10 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 6-1 in the Celtics’ last 7 Monday games.
• The under is 11-2 in the Celtics’ last 13 road games versus a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
• The under is 14-4 in the Celtics’ last 18 road games against a team with a winning home record.
• The under is 18-7-1 in the Celtics’ last 26 road games.
• The under is 5-2 in the Celtics’ last 7 games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game.

Cleveland Cavaliers over/under trends:

• The over is 5-2 in the Cavaliers’ last 7 overall.
• The over is 9-4 in the Cavaliers’ last 13 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
• The over is 5-0 in the Cavaliers’ last 5 vs. a team with a winning straight-up record.
• The over is 5-1 in the Cavaliers’ last 6 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-1 in the Cavaliers’ last 5 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 4-1 in the Cavaliers’ last 5 games following a straight-up win.
• The over is 17-5 in the Cavaliers’ last 22 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
• The over is 5-2 in the Cavaliers’ last 7 Monday games.
• The over is 13-6 in the Cavaliers’ last 19 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
• The under is 7-2 in the Cavaliers’ last 9 games following a straight-up win of more than 10 points.
• The under is 8-3 in the Cavaliers’ last 11 games following an ATS win.

While the Celtics have lit up their opposition when playing at home, Boston has relied on its defense to win on the road. The over is 22-11 when they are at the TD Garden but the under is 21-9-1 when they are away from home. The Celtics also rank in the Top 5 in defensive rating.

The under is more likely to hit here considering that the Celtics are facing the NBA’s no. 1 defense in the Cavaliers. In the Cavs’ last 6 wins, they have allowed 109 or fewer points, including less than 100 points four times during that stretch. Cleveland also plays with one of the slowest paces in the league this year.

I expect both teams to show off their defensive capabilities as they try to outdo each other on Monday night.

Prediction: Under 219