LeBron James is not worried about his Cleveland Cavaliers even after taking a 108-83 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Now trailing 1-0 in the series, will the Cavs even it all up this Tuesday? Or will the Celtics keep on rolling with another huge victory? Going into the game, the home team is favored by just 1-point at the sportsbook.
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Betting Preview for Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 2 on May 15, 2018
Where: TD Garden, Boston
When: Tuesday, May 15, 8:30 PM EST
Line: Cleveland Cavaliers (point spread) vs Boston Celtics (point spread) – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers (+1)
The Cavs simply didn’t have it on Sunday. The loss to Boston in Game 1 had the Cavs recording their worst field goal shooting percentage in a game so far in these playoffs as LeBron James and company shot just 36.0 percent from the floor. James was only 5-for-16 from the field and 0-for-5 from behind the arc. The Cavs went 3-point shots just refused to go in even when they’re taking many of them with minimal challenge from Boston. The Cavs were only 4 for 26 from beyond the arc, and they will look to find their outside touch in Game 2. Back in the conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors, the Cavs shot 41.1 percent from distance in four games.
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last five games after a loss.
Betting on the Boston Celtics (-1)
The Celtics continue to show they don’t need Kyrie Irving to succeed in these playoffs. All they need is defense and everything follows. The Celtics did a terrific job of silencing Cleveland’s offense. Marcus Morris put some weight on his bold talk prior to the series by slowing down LeBron James and taking him out of his element. He’ll have to continue doing that, which is going to be easier said than done, but important to the Celtics nonetheless. Boston also took advantage of the Cavs’ poor interior defense with 60 points in the paint against Cleveland’s 38 points in the shaded area. So far in the playoffs, Boston is allowing only 101.0 points per game, third best among teams that made it to the postseason.
The Celtics are also now 9-0 SU and ATS in their last nine home games dating back to the regular season.
Writer’s Prediction:
Cleveland wins, 110-100.
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