David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics: Can the Cavs stay undefeated?
The Boston Celtics are hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers today at TD Garden.
The Cavs have an epic start of the season
The Cleveland Cavaliers are on top of the Eastern Conference with a 15-0 record, including 7-0 on the road. They are coming off a 128-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The Cavs are the best offensive team in the league averaging 123.7 points per game on 52.4% shooting from the field. Donovan Mitchell leads the team averaging 24.6 points per game.
The Celtics are still the team to beat in the East
The Boston Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference with an 11-3 record, including 7-1 at home. They have won 4 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 126-123 overtime win over the Toronto Raptors. The Celtics are second in the league scoring 121.6 points per game and are ranked tenth shooting 37% shooting from three-point territory. Jayson Tatum leads the team averaging 29.7 points per game.
Betting Trends
The Celtics are 16-4 SU in their last 20 games overall, 10-2 SU in their last 12 home games and 11-2 SU in their last 13 home games against the Cavs. They are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games overall. Boston has played over the total point line in 4 of their last 6 games overall, 8 of their last 12 games against the Cavs and 7 of their last 10 games against teams from the Central Division, while they have played under in 13 of their last 20 games played in November. The Cavaliers are 15-0 SU in their last 15 games overall, 1-4 SU in their last 5 games against Boston and 7-0 SU in their last 7 games on the road. They are 13-4 ATS in their last 17 games overall, 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games against Boston, 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games against teams from the Eastern Conference and 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games against teams from the Atlantic Division. Cleveland has played over the total point line in 6 of their last 8 games overall and 5 of their last 6 games played on Tuesday.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Cleveland Cavaliers are tied for the third-best start in NBA history and can stand alone on that spot if they beat the defensive champions on the road. Cleveland has been perfect after 15 games and has all the necessary qualities and confidence for this visit. The Celtics lost only three games, which is also a great record, and have a chance to prove that they are still the best team in the league. The Celtics beat the Cavs in the second round of the playoffs last year in six games. They are definitely the favorites going into this one, but who can bet against the Cavs playing this well? Given the fact that these two teams are the best offensive teams in the league, we go with over 229.5 total points.
