The Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34) travel to face off against the Boston Celtics (64-18) on Thursday, May 9th. This game will be played at TD Garden in Boston and televised on ESPN. The Celtics are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Cavaliers are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Cavaliers. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.

Cavaliers vs Celtics

The most recent game of this Cavaliers vs. Celtics series was a blowout win for Boston. The Celtics won by a score of 120-95 and easily covered the spread, as they were favored by 12.5 points. Boston got off to a fast start, outscoring the Cavs 40-34 in the first quarter. Heading into the game, the over/under line was at 211 points, and the teams combined to score 215, hitting the over by four points.

Donovan Mitchell had a big game for the Cavs, finishing with 33 points. However, the Celtics defense held Cleveland to just 26.2% shooting from three-point range. Jaylen Brown had 32 points for the Celtics, while Derrick White added 25. Boston hit 18 threes as a team, and White knocked down seven of them.

Cavaliers Offense Breakdown

Donovan Mitchell is averaging 26.6 points per game this season and 33.6 over his last five games. In these games, he hit 47.2% of his shots from the field. Caris LeVert is averaging 14 points per game this season, but his three-point shooting percentage is just 32.5%. Darius Garland is averaging 18 points per game, and Evan Mobley is averaging 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds.

Cleveland comes into the game averaging 112.6 points per game, which is 23rd in the NBA. On the road, they are averaging 109 points per contest. The Cavaliers have scored below their season average in 67.1% of their games and have outperformed the league average in 42.7% of their games.

Celtics Offense Breakdown

This season, the Celtics are averaging 120.6 points per game, which is the second-best mark in the league. Their production has been even better at home, with an average of 122.3 points per contest. The Celtics lead the league in three-point attempts, averaging 42.5 attempts per game, and they are also first in three-pointers made, at 16.5 per contest.

Jaylen Brown has averaged 25.8 points per game in his last five games on a shooting percentage of 55.1%. Over this stretch, he averaged 6.6 rebounds. Jayson Tatum is averaging 10.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists in his last five games, but he hit just 28.6% of his threes. Derrick White is averaging 23.4 points in his last five games while hitting 50% of his threes.

Cavaliers Team Defense

On the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are giving up 109.6 points per game, ranking 7th in the NBA. Their opponents have made 46.2% of their field goals, which is 4th best in the league. In terms of three-point shooting, Cleveland is 10th in made threes allowed per game (12.4) and 10th in three-point shooting percentage allowed (36.6%).

Over their last five games, the Cavaliers have been even better on the defensive end, ranking 6th in field goal percentage allowed (44.8%) and 14th in three-point shooting percentage allowed (35.4%). However, they have struggled to keep opponents off the free-throw line, allowing 19.2 made free throws per game in that span (26th).

When it comes to rebounding, Cleveland is 17th in the NBA at 43.3 rebounds per game. They are 11th in defensive rebounds per game, 18th in steals per game, and 20th in blocked shots per game. The Cavaliers have also been one of the least fouling teams in the league this season (25th in personal fouls).

Celtics Team Defense

The Boston Celtics have been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA this season, allowing just 108.1 points per game, which is 3rd best in the league. They have been especially stingy at home, giving up just 106.9 points per game, which is 4th best in the NBA.

Despite their strong defense, opponents have been able to make more threes than their season average in 52.4% of games against the Celtics. However, Boston has done a good job of keeping opponents off the free-throw line, allowing the fewest made free-throws per game in the NBA.

Over their last five games, the Celtics have been even better on the defensive end, giving up just 92.4 points per game. During that stretch, opponents have made just 29.9% of their threes.

Key Players For The Cavaliers And Celtics

The outlook for today’s matchup points to Donovan Mitchell as the primary point contributor for the Cavaliers, finishing with 26 points while maintaining a 9/20 shooting accuracy. This season, he is averaging 26.6 points per game along with 5.1 boards.

On the opposing side, we anticipate Jayson Tatum to be the top scorer for the Celtics. Our projection has him finishing the game with 26, and he is expected to secure 8 rebounds. Throughout the season, he has maintained a 47.1% field goal shooting rate and is averaging 26.9 points per game.

Cavaliers vs Celtics Trends

• Through their last ten road contests, the Cavaliers offense has averaged 102 points per game while allowing an average of 117. Cleveland posted an overall record of 1-9 while going 2-8 ATS.
• In their last three home games, Boston has averaged 99 points per game while allowing 92. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-1 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
• Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Cavaliers have gone 0-3 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 0-3.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Celtics have a strong straight up record of 4-1. In addition, their ATS record was 4-1 in these scenarios.

Cavaliers vs Celtics Prediction

For a pick on the point-spread in this Celtics vs. Cavaliers matchup, our bet is to grab the Cavaliers at +13.5. Even though our projections have the Celtics winning 116-104, we see the Cavaliers as the play on the point-spread.

As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 212, and our model projects the Cavaliers and Celtics to reach a combined total of 220 points. Our bet is on taking the over.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.