The Boston Celtics travel to the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA Game 3 on Saturday night. Here’s a Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics Prediction.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics will be hoping to bounce back in this one after surrendering home court advantage with a 118-94 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 2 on Thursday. Jayson Tatum led the team in scoring with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Jaylen Brown added 19 points while Al Horford chipped in with 11 points. As a team, the Celtics shot just 41 percent from the field and eight of 35 from the 3-point line as they traded with the Cavaliers in a tightly contested first half, only to get completely blown out by 64-40 in the second half as they just had no answer for the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell who caught fire late to bury the Celtics.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers must have been low on confidence after getting routed in the series opener, but they must be brimming with confidence after blowing past the Celtics in a dominant win on Thursday. Donovan Mitchell led the team with 29 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, Evan Mobley added 21 points with 10 rebounds and five assists while Caris LeVert provided the spark off the bench with 21 points on nine of 17 shooting. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 54 percent from the field and 13 of 28 from the 3-point line as they kept pace with the Celtics in the first half, before they exploded for 36 points in the third quarter to start to pull away and escape with the much-needed victory.
Why the Cleveland Cavaliers will win
- The Cavaliers have won each of their last eight Eastern Conference Semifinals home games.
- The Celtics have lost eight of their last nine road games against Cavaliers teams that held a winning record.
- The Celtics have failed to cover the spread in seven of their last eight games against Central Division opponents that held a winning record.
- The Cavaliers have covered the spread in each of their last six games against Atlantic Division opponents after winning as underdogs.
Why the Boston Celtics will win
- The Celtics have won each of their last nine Saturday road games.
- The Cavaliers have lost each of their last seven games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents following a win.
- The Cavaliers have failed to cover the spread in each of their last seven games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents following a win.
- The Celtics have covered the spread in each of their last six road games against Central Division opponents following a loss.
Total Points Facts
- Seven of the Cavaliers’ last eight playoff games against Atlantic Division opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Each of the Celtics’ last four playoff road games have gone UNDER the total points line.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics Prediction
The Cavaliers are still shorthanded with Ty Jerome still out and Jarrett Allen listed as questionable, while the Celtics are still missing Kristaps Porzingis for this one. The Celtics will be kicking themselves after they played so poorly at home in Game 2, but they were due for a bad game after being so dominant for so long. The Cavaliers are more than capable of pulling off the upset again at home. The Celtics’ Game 2 performance was such an outlier from their usual form, and I’m backing them to bounce back in style with a comfortable win on the road.