The Cleveland Cavaliers (1-2) square off against the Boston Celtics (2-1) at Quicken Loans Arena in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, May 21, 2018, and will air on ESPN.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 207 points with Cleveland set as a 6-point favorite.
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers ATS Prediction
In game three, James scored a game-high 27 points and the Cavaliers defeated the Celtics 116-86, covering as 6.5-point favorites. He also had 12 assists and five rebounds. The game finished with a total of 202 points, which was just 5 points below the projected point total of 207 points. The Cavaliers had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (22.2 vs. 14.0) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.599 vs. 0.432).
The game should be a showdown of strength against strength as the prolific offense of Cleveland takes on the stingy defense of Boston. The Cavaliers rank fifth in offensive efficiency, while the Celtics are second in defensive efficiency.
Boston holds records of 65-32 straight up (SU) and 59-34-4 against the spread (ATS). Games involving the Celtics have gone over the O/U total 51.5 percent of the time.
Cleveland is 59-37 SU, but they are just 37-57-2 ATS. Contrary to Boston, Cavaliers games have gone under the projected point total 51.0 percent of the time.
The Celtics are 3-3 ATS with five unders and one over in the playoffs. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are 13-8 with 11 unders, nine overs and one push
Kevin Love has averaged 22.8 points and 11.2 rebounds over the last five games for Cleveland.
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Free Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Cavaliers, ATS Winner – Celtics, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Boston is 30-17 ATS on the road with 25 unders, 21 overs and 1 push.
Cleveland is 15-32-1 ATS at home with 26 unders, 21 overs and 1 push.
Boston is 41-6 when they allow less than 100 points, while Cleveland is 20-5.
In games where they reach the century mark, the Celtics are 51-14 and the Cavaliers are 56-18.
Boston ranks fourth in assists allowed per game (21.5) while Cleveland ranks 28th (25.2).
The Celtics rank ninth in three pointers allowed per game (27.6) while the Cavaliers rank 28th (31.0).
Boston ranks 10th in rebounds per game (44.1) while Cleveland ranks 25th (41.8).
The Celtics rank third in second chance points allowed per game (11.0) while the Cavaliers rank 16th (12.8).
Cleveland ranks 14th in fast break points per game (11.9) while Boston ranks 27th (9.5).
The Celtics rank 19th in blocks per game (4.5) while the Cavaliers rank 27th (3.8).
Boston ranks fifth in steals allowed per game (7.1) while Cleveland ranks 11th (7.3).
The Cavaliers rank 23rd in points in the paint per game (43.3) while the Celtics rank 29th (40.4).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Boston is 3-2 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
Cleveland is 2-3 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over over their last five games.
The Celtics have been outscored by an average of 0.2 points in their last five games. On the season, Boston has defeated opponents by an average of 3.3 points.
During their last five games, the Cavaliers have scored an average of 105.2 points per game (4.4 below their season average) and allowed an average of 99.4 points per game (9.3 below their season average).
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