NBA Playoff Game 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics: Odds, Tips and Predictions 5/07/24

On Tuesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers will travel to Boston to begin a best-of-seven second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. Seeded fourth, Cleveland triumphed against Orlando Magic in seven games while top seed Boston overcame 8th seed Miami Heat easily in five. Game one begins at 7:00 PM EST.

The Celtics are heavy favorites and should easily win this series. The Celtics are better at every position on the court, and the Cavs were lucky to survive the Orlando Magic.

Cavs vs Celtics

• Spread: Celtics -11.5
• Moneyline Cavs +480
• Moneyline Celtics -650
• Over/Under 208.5

These odds were updated at 6 pm EST on 05/06/24, coming from Draft Kings.

Our Best Pick: Celtics to Cover

The loss to Miami in Game Two may have been beneficial to the Celtics. They altered their offensive strategy in that game and featured positional mismatches to allow the Heat to find their range from 3-point distance, and they went on to lose by 10 points. In the other three games against Miami, the Celtics beat them by diuble-digits. Instead of opting for isolation basketball tactics to dominate an unprepared Heat team, the Celtics utilized one of the league’s premier ball-movement offenses instead.

The Cavs are relatively healthy but face similar difficulties as the Heat in terms of the Celtics outmatching nearly every position on their team, particularly at the forward position. The Boston Celtics should dominate in this series. Expect Tatum to average over 30 points a game in this series and Brown to follow suit, while the Celtics guards will work to slow Mitchell and reduce his scoring outbursts. Plus, their rebounding abilities – even without Porzingis! – should help them dominate on the perimeter.. Check out the latest Western Conference odds for the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

DraftKings

4.5/5

Tip: Bet Celtics to Cover

• Jayson tatum to have a big night
• Celtics ball movement will be key
• Celtics are the better team

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Cavs vs Celtics Moneyline

The Celtics should win this game by double digits, so a money-line bet is useless in this game. The Cavs won game seven on Sunday and have a quick turnaround to start this series, which should also be another advantage for a superior Celtics team. To find the best line, you need accounts with multiple sportsbooks, and we got you covered as we break down the best sports betting app

DraftKings

4.5/5

Tip: Bet Celtics to Cover

• No Money line value on the the celtics
• Celtics are well-rested
• Celtics more experience

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Cavs vs Celtics Over/Under Analysis

The Over/Under is 208.5 in this game. This is an easy one as I think the Celtics will score early and often while the Cavs will collect some garbage points which means this is a game to hit the over hard.

DraftKings

4.5/5

Tip: Bet the Over 208.5

• Odds favor game in the 100s
• Celtics to control tempo
• Celtics should win

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Cavs vs Celtics Spread Analysis

The spread is just about right. the Celtics are a dominant team and should advance to the NBA Finals. The Cavs are a solid team, but nowhere near the level of the Celtics. Look for the Celtics to pile up an early lead and cruise to victory.

DraftKings

4.5/5

Tip: Bet the Celtics to Cover

• Cavs struggled against the magic on the road
• Celtics Home Court Advanatage
• Rebounding will be crucial

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Cavs vs Celtics Head-to-Head

The Boston Celtics won the season series two games to one, and all three regular-season games went over the 208.5-point over/under for this game. Check out our guide to betting on NBA Playoff Parlays.

Injuries and Suspensions

Cavs Injury Report

• Jerome- Out
• Wade-Out
• Porter- Out
• Allen- Questionable

Celtics Injury Report

• Porzingis- Out

Conclusion

The Celtics are better at every position and will jump out to an early lead and cruise the rest of the way home. The cavs are a solid team but nowhere near the level of the Celtics. The Heat did the Celtics a favor by beating them in game two of their first-round series. Boston 120  Cavs 104.