The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers have competed in two tight games already this NBA season, and the latest instalment goes down on Tuesday night with oddsmakers listing the home Cavaliers as the two-point betting favorites (-108) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Here's a spread, moneyline, total, and player prop expert pick for this probable Eastern Conference finals preview on February 4, 2025.
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Odds
Preview: Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m. ET
Team | Spread | Money | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Boston Celtics | +2 (-112) | +106 | O 237.5 (-110) |
Cleveland Cavaliers | -2 (-108) | -124 | U 237.5 (-110) |
Odds as of February 4, 2025 at Sportsbook
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Expert Picks
Boston Celtics ATS +2 (-112), ML (+106)
This is one of those rare instances where the reigning champion Celtics enter a matchup as the betting underdog, having gone 0-2 both SU and ATS in 2024-25 under that criteria. One of those losses did come at the hands of Cleveland, falling 115-111 on the road back on Dec. 1 when the Cavaliers were favored by just 1.5 points on the spread. Boston was without Jaylen Brown and Derrick White that night and did have a 12-point lead entering the fourth quarter in that game, though. On top of that, Donovan Mitchell needed to score 20 of his 35 points in the final 12 minutes just for Cleveland to eek out a win, so keep that in mind because the finer details always matter.
With that said, if you can get the Celtics at any point in time at plus money, you have to take it. The team has won three in a row and four of its last five, and while the Cavaliers have been absolutely dominant with four-straight victories of their own which have all been by 19 points or more, some of those recent blowouts were marred by the opposition not having key bodies available. Cleveland's 144-101 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday didn't feature the likes of Kyrie Irving, Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II.
Each of the first two outings between Boston and the Cavaliers were separated by no more than four points on the scoreboard, with the home team prevailing each time. The Celtics - who lead the league with a 19-6 road record - have won five of their last six away from TD Garden, but only covered twice during that stretch, although all of those spreads were by at least 6.5 points which is difficult to pull off no matter how dominant you are.
There's only so much of a statement you can make the week of the trade deadline, but surely Boston would love to hand the top team in the East a rare loss and cut down on their lead in the win-loss column which is currently at 5.5 games. There's no injuries or major absences to report as of early Tuesday morning, and with the mindset that the Celtics will be more incentivized to take this one, wagering both the tight spread and moneyline can ultimately boost those units.
UNDER 237.5 Total Points (-110)
While Boston has reached an OVER in the total market over its last three road games, none of those numbers would have gone OVER a 237.5-point mark set by oddsmakers for Tuesday's clash.
The two earlier encounters this campaign also just went UNDER this number, as well, so erring on the side of caution, let's anticipate a similar outcome here.
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Player Prop
Evan Mobley OVER 11.5 Rebounds + Assists (-125)
In his two appearances this season versus Boston, newly-named All-Star Evan Mobley has averaged 10.5 rebounds and five assists while exceeded the 11.5 combined prop for boards and dimes quite easily each occasion.
He's also gone OVER this mark in four-straight games and eight of his last 10.
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Trends
- Jayson Tatum has failed to exceed 13 1H points in five of his last six games (8.8 1H points/game average).
- Jrue Holiday has failed to exceed 9.5 points in five of his last six games (7.8 points/game average).
- Max Strus has exceeded 6.5 rebounds + assists in four of his last five games at home (8.2 rebounds + assists/game average).
*all betting trends courtesy of Outlier