The Boston Celtics are heavy favorites in their second-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs needed star guard Donovan Mitchell to carry the team through the first round, while the Celtics dominated the Heat in five games and are well rested ahead of tonight's Game 1 in Boston.
The Celtics will begin the series without one of their starters and best players, Kristaps Porzingis. Cleveland is in a similar position with Center Jarrett Allen missing the last two games — he's listed as a game-time decision for Game 1.
Boston's scoring power is impressive, and the Celtics should be able to withstand even the best effort Mitchell can give the Cavs. Let's take a look at the Celtics vs. Cavaliers series price, Game 1 odds and some NBA playoff bets worth considering. Tuesday's game will tip-off at 7 p.m. ET on TNT.
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Celtics vs. Cavaliers series price
The Celtics open the series as the heaviest favorite of any team in the playoffs to advance to the conference finals. The best value odds for the Celtics to win the series can be found at DraftKings (-1200). You can find the best value odds for the Cavaliers to win the series at FanDuel (+820).
Celtics vs. Cavaliers Game 1 spread, total, moneyline
Check out the live odds for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals for the spread, total and moneyline between the Celtics and Cavaliers at the best U.S. online sportsbooks :
Celtics vs. Cavaliers Game 1 prediction
Donovan Mitchell was incredible in the first-round series, and Cleveland hopes their star guard continues to play at an MVP level if they want a chance in Game 1 against Boston. The Celtics, even without Porzingis, have three players averaging over 20 points per game. Jayson Tatum is third in playoff scoring, as he has taken a more team-centric approach, averaging 5.4 assists and leading the team with 10.4 rebounds while scoring 21.8 PPG.
Tatum can still go for 30-plus on any night, but it has been a good sign for the Celtics that he has not needed to, as Jaylen Brown has led the team in scoring in the postseason with 22.8 PPG, with Derrick White a close second at 22.4 PPG. The Celtics also have players like Jrue Holiday, who averaged 12.5 PPG in the regular season and has a career average of 16.1 PPG, but he has taken a less ball-dominant role in this loaded Boston backcourt. It is an embarrassment of riches for Boston, and Cleveland will be exhausted coming off a seven-game series — the Celtics should run away with Game 1.
Prediction: Celtics
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Celtics vs. Cavaliers series prediction
The Cavaliers desperately need Jarrett Allen back to make this a series, but with a painful rib injury, even if he returns he is at a high risk of reaggravating it and will likely not be 100%. Boston simply has too much scoring for Cleveland to make this series close, but Mitchell will have one or two games around 50 points to help Cleveland win at least one game.
Prediction: Celtics in five
Best bet for Celtics vs. Cavaliers series: Celtics -2.5 games
The Celtics winning the series by 2.5 games at DraftKings (-170) is worth considering. Cleveland can depend on Mitchell to score 35-plus points every night, but they can't score with Boston outside of him. This should be a comfortable series win for Boston.
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