Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/22/2021

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Venue:  TD Garden, Boston, MA 

Where to Watch:  NBCS-BOS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers +6, Celtics -6; Over/Under:  NL points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers 5.5, Celtics 5.5; Over/Under:  NL points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers +6.5, Celtics -6.5; Over/Under:  NL points

 

Cleveland Cavaliers:  19-12 (2nd place, Central Division)

Boston Celtics:  15-16 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

 

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Cleveland Cavaliers:  8-2 last 10

Boston Celtics:  4-6 last 10

 

 

 

The Cavaliers are coming into this game with a 19-12 record overall and they are 10-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. Their last loss was against the Milwaukee Bucks but they have gone on a six-game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Chicago Bulls, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Sacramento Kings, the Miami Heat, the Houston Rockets, and the Bucks in their last game. Cedi Osman led the team in points in that game off the bench with 23 while Darius Garland was next on the team with 22 points. Ricky Rubio led the team in assists in that game with 10 while Kevin Love led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 50% from the field, 35.6% from 3-point range, and 92.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 107 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 101.1 PPG against them. The Cavs have an ATS record of 24-5-2 this season and their O/U record is 11-20.

 

 

The Celtics are coming into this contest with a 15-16 record overall and they are 8-6 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They have lost 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of a loss in their last game. Their last win was against the New York Knicks while their 2 losses in that span came against the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers in their last game. Jaylen Brown went off in that game as he led the team in points with 30 while Jayson Tatum was next on the team with 17 points. Tatum led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Enes Freedom led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 46.3% from the field, 25.9% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 108.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 107.3 PPG against them. The Celtics have an ATS record of 15-14-2 this season and their O/U record is 13-17-1.

 

 

The Cavaliers are coming into this matchup as a 6 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cavaliers have been having a great season and are playing very well in their recent games. The Cavs have won 6 straight games and they have a winning record on the road this season. They also have the best ATS record in the NBA and are the only team covering in over 80% and 70% of their games. The Celtics have been playing alright but they have been a lot more inconsistent in their games this season and they even sit at below .500 for the year. The best bet to place in this game is on the Cavaliers to cover the spread here as they have a very good chance of winning this game.

 

Cavaliers Celtics Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Wednesday, December 22, 2021 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Cavaliers 107 Celtics 99.

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Cleveland Cavaliers: 11-20 O/U in all games. 11-20 O/U in the first half of the season. 2-5 O/U when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days. 6-13 O/U after 1 or more consecutive unders. 3-7 O/U off a win against a division rival. 10-27 O/U after allowing 100 points or less. 6-17 O/U after allowing 105 points or less 2 straight games. 4-14 O/U after 1 or more consecutive wins.

Boston Celtics: 18-10 ATS in December games. 15-8 ATS after 2 consecutive division games. 16-4 ATS after having lost 5 or 6 of their last 7 games. 51-29 ATS off an upset loss to a division rival as a favorite. 28-16 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite. 10-2 ATS after scoring 105 points or less.

 

 

Cleveland Cavaliers:  D. Valentine (SG) Out indefinitely - Illness. D. Windler (SG) Out indefinitely - Head injury. R. Nembhard (PG) Out indefinitely - Illness. L. Stevens (PF) Out indefinitely - Illness. Jarrett Allen (C) Out indefinitely - Illness. Evan Mobley (C) Out indefinitely - Hip injury. Isaac Okoro (SF) Out indefinitely - Illness. Collin Sexton (PG) out for season - Knee injury.

Boston Celtics:  R. Williams III (C) Ques Wed - Personal. Brodric Thomas (PG) Out indefinitely - Illness. Josh Richardson (SG) Out indefinitely - Illness. B. Fernando (PF) Out indefinitely - Back injury. Sam Hauser (SF) Out indefinitely - Illness. Juancho Hernangomez (PF) Out indefinitely - Illness. Grant Williams (PF) Out indefinitely - Illness. Al Horford (C) Out indefinitely - Illness. Jabari Parker (PF) Out indefinitely - Illness.

 

 

 

 

"In order to be successful against Milwaukee, you have to move the ball. They did a really good job of creating shots for each other." - J.B. Bickerstaff on his team’s win against the Bucks on Saturday night.

 

"We just had a little lapse there and picked it up where we left off in the first half. A few mistakes there, but overall three great quarters of defense." - Ime Udoka on his team’s win against the Knicks on Saturday night.

 

 

 

PG    Darius Garland 

SG    Cedi Osman

SF    Lauri Markkanen

PF    Dean Wade

C    Kevin Love

 

PG    Dennis Schroder

SG    Marcus Smart

SF    Jaylen Brown

PF    Jayson Tatum

C    Robert Williams III

 

 

PPG: D. Garland (19.1)

APG: D. Garland (7.3)

Reb/G: J. Allen (10.8)

 

PPG: J. Tatum (25.9)

APG: M. Smart (5.5)

Reb/G: J. Tatum (8.6)

 

Coaches:

Cleveland Cavaliers: J.B. Bickerstaff (3rd season)

Boston Celtics: Ime Udoka (1st season)