NHL

Cleveland Cavs vs. Boston Celtics 5/15/18 Predictions & Odds

Cavs vs Warriors

The Cleveland Cavs were hammered in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Will LeBron Jame and Co. rebound in Game 2? Cleveland takes on the Boston Celtics again tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Game Snapshot

701 Cleveland Cavs at 702 Boston Celtics

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

TV: ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET

Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers, the Celtics are 1-point home favorites to beat the Cavs tonight. Boston opened as a 1-point underdog but the line jumped the fence. As for the total, it hit the board at 202.5 but was bet up to 203.5.

As of this writing, 54% of betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Celtics to cover the spread.

Tristan Thompson is expected to draw the start for Cavs in Game 2

Thompson pulled down 11 rebounds in Game 1 with eight points in 21 minutes. Coach Ty Lue said he’s still “weighing” the decision, but cited Thompson’s success against Al Horford in the past. In the nine minutes in which Horford and Thompson shared the floor in Game 1, Horford didn’t have a single point or rebound.

Celtics Stevens says “totally a collective effort” to guard LeBron

“Marcus [Morris] is big, strong, competitive guy, but you have to guard LeBron as a team,” Stevens said. The Boston starting lineup isn’t totally clear, but Morris makes a lot of sense next to Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford. During the season Morris made two starts with Kyrie Irving (knee) and Gordon Hayward (leg) being the only other starters not mentioned above.

Morris also was second on the team with defensive possessions against LeBron on the year (Jaylen Brown). Expect Morris, Brown and Semi Ojeleye to be the main defenders on LeBron with some Al Horford mixed in depending on how Kevin Love is playing.

Betting Trends

Cleveland

The Cavs are 8-3 against the spread in their last 11 games in Boston. That said, they have failed to cover the number in five of their last seven games overall versus the Celtics.

Boston

The road team is 8-2 against the spread in the last 10 meetings between these two teams. The underdog is also 5-2 against the number in the last seven meetings.

Our Prediction

The Celtics have been too good at home to bet against them, just as I foolishly did in Game 1. Boston has covered 14 out of 16 at home and is 133-3 against the number in its last 16 home games versus a team with a winning road record.

On the other side, the Cavs are just 4-9 against the spread in their last 13 Eastern Conference games. They’re also 11-38-2 at the betting window in their last 51 games coming off a loss of more than 10 points.

NBA Prediction: Boston Celtics -1

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