US Sports

Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Partner Authors Updated: 01 Dec 24 15:14

The NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, have made a strong start to their title defence, going 16-3 through their opening 19 matches, yet that is still not enough to see them boast the best record in the league.

That honour belongs to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with their sensational record of 17-3, making Sunday’s clash in Ohio a mouthwatering battle between the top two sides in the NBA.

BOS Celtics @ CLE Cavaliers

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Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics prop bets - tips and predictions

Jaylen Brown over 3.5 assists - 20/31

Jayson Tatum has unsurprisingly dominated the headlines for the Celtics this term as he goes in search of the NBA’s MVP award but Boston’s second-best player, Jaylen Brown, has quietly impressed in the early stages of the campaign.

One feature of his game which has seemed to improve is his playmaking and he could once again have a big night in terms of assists in Cleveland, just as he did in the last meeting between this pair.

Brown notched a huge eight assists in Boston’s win over the Cavaliers last month and he has regularly put in big passing performances against these opponents, not registering fewer than four assists against Cleveland since 2021.

That makes his line of over 3.5 an appealing one to take on from a betting perspective, and the fact that he has managed four in 12 of his last 13 matches, including each of the last seven, is an added bonus, too.

Brown’s points numbers have been down of late, notching 21 and 17 in his last two matches. That's below his average of 24.1, yet his playmaking ability has remained, and going over his line of 3.5 assists is one play to consider on Sunday.

Evan Mobley over 26.5 points and rebounds - 10/11

Having been one of the standout performers in the last meeting between these sides, punters will be attracted to Evan Mobley in a number of markets on Sunday, and there are plenty of reasons to believe he can reward his supporters.

Firstly, he was sensational in last month’s head-to-head, racking up 22 points, claiming 11 rebounds and even chipping in with six assists. Notably, that performance came with Boston’s key defensive player, Al Horford, on the court.

Horford is a doubt for this clash, as is his fellow center Kristaps Porzingis, and even if both recover in time to feature, they may not be 100% fit, and that could open up the door for Mobley to dominate the paint again.

Lastly, Mobley is just in generally good form. When the chips are down, he tends to perform, as he showed when registering 12 rebounds in both defeats to the Hawks last month, racking up 24 and 22 points in those losses as well.

The Cavaliers could be set for a fourth defeat of the campaign against the champions, but Mobley should still give a good account of himself and he can be taken to clear a line of 26.5 for points and rebound on Sunday.

Cavaliers v Celtics Money line, spread, over/under

Boston Celtics to win - 5/6

Everything suggests this will be an extremely tight contest, but the Celtics are narrowly fancied to prevail.

Experience is key in the NBA and asking an extremely young squad to deal with the pressure of being top seed may be a step too far for Cleveland, and the expectation may get to the youthful Cavaliers, who look set to falter against the champions.

Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and co are exceptional players but the bottom line is that Boston have the best and deepest roster in the league. Tatum, Brown, Jrue Holiday and Porzingis are bonafide superstars, while Horford, Derrick White and Peyton Pritchard are among the best role players in the NBA.

The Celtics are 9-1 on their travels this season and with the Cavaliers losing two of their subsequent four games since their maiden defeat of the campaign at the hands of Boston, Joe Mazzulla’s side, who have won seven on the spin, can be expected to get the job done in Cleveland.

Cavaliers v Celtics Money line, spread, over/under

	Money Line	Spread	Over/Under
Cavaliers	1/1	+1.5 – 10/11	Under 237.0 – 10/11
Celtics	5/6	-1.5 – 10/11	Over 237.0 - 10/11