Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Preview and Prediction (3/1/23)
Moneyline: Celtics -260, Cavaliers +220
Spread: Celtics -6.5, Cavaliers +6.5
Total: 225.5
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Betting Odds Breakdown
Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be making a trip to Boston for a clash with the Boston Celtics.
Boston is coming into this game as the favorite at -6.5 and the over/under is sitting at 225.5 points. Along with that, the moneyline is at -260 for Boston and +220 for Cleveland.
Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
The Cavaliers are coming into this game after 1-3 in their last four games, and they have been struggling for the most part coming out of the all star break.
The problem that Cleveland had especially in those three losses they had in that four game stretch is that they haven’t had an easy time scoring from beyond the arc. During those three losses, the Cavaliers have only shot the ball about 32 percent from beyond the arc. That’s not sustainable in a league where the three point shot is only getting more popular, so they need to find a way to fix that as soon as possible.
Although Cleveland is in a bit of a rough patch right now, they have still had success against the Celtics earlier in the season, as they are 2-0 against Boston this year. Their last game against them was a one point victory in overtime, in which the key for them in that game was that they were able to hold the Celtics to only 27 percent from three point range. They didn’t shoot much better from three at only 28 percent, but holding them to only 27 percent from beyond the arc was huge for Cleveland. But, this game won’t be much easier for Cleveland, as the Celtics have gotten much better as the season has gone on.
Boston Celtics Preview
Boston is sitting at 44-18 on the season, which has them sitting at first place in the eastern conference.
Boston has looked like the best team in the whole league this season, and you should expect them to make a lot of noise in the playoffs this year. Something that Boston should be able to take advantage of is the three point defense of Cleveland. The Cavaliers have let their opponents make about 37 percent of their three point shots, and considering that the Celtics are sixth in the league in three point percentage, Boston could very well have a good night offensively.
The biggest problem Boston had against the Cavaliers earlier on in the season is that defense didn’t show up when it mattered the most. Especially in that first game against Cleveland, where they let the Cavaliers outscore them by 11 points. They also let both Caris LeVert and Donovan Mitchell score 41 points each. Although it’s difficult to imagine something like that happening again in this game, they still do need to clean up their defense against Cleveland.
