Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics 5/23/18, Prediction & Odds

Cavaliers vs. Celtics Prediction

The Cleveland Cavaliers evened the Eastern Conference Finals series at 2-2 with a pair of home wins over the Boston Celtics. Now back in Boston, can Cleveland continue to be the better team and make bettors happy?

Game Snapshot

707 Cleveland Cavaliers at 708 Boston Celtics

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

TD Garden at 8:30PM ET

TV: ESPN

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Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers, the Cavaliers are a 1-point favorite to win on the moneyline. The over-under is set at 206.5. As of Wednesday morning, 54 percent of public bets are coming in on visiting Cleveland. Check out our NBA Public Betting Page for the latest information.

Strong first quarter propels Cavs

Boston actually outscored host Cleveland in each of the final three quarters of Game 3, but due to Cleveland outscoring the Celtics 34-18 through the first 12 minutes the comeback attempt fell well short in the 111-102 final. LeBron James was again masterful as he scored 44 points on 17-of-28 shooting, hitting one 3-pointer on four attempts and making 9-of-13 free throws. He added five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Kyle Korver had 14 off the bench, while Tristan Thompson accounted for 13 points and 12 rebounds plus two blocked shots. George Hill also scored 13.

Brown turns in solid effort

Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown recorded 25 points on 10-of-23 shooting in the loss. He added six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Terry Rozier contributed 16 points, 11 assists, six boards and three steals. Jayson Tatum scored 17, while Al Horford put in 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Marcus Morris added 10 points. The Celtics shot only 41.2 percent from the floor in the game and hit just 32.1 percent of their 3-point attempts.

NBA Betting Trends

Cleveland

The under is 10-3 in the last 13 meetings in Boston. The under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings overall.

Boston

The Celtics are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games following an ATS loss. Boston is 12-5 ATS in its last 17 games overall.

Prediction:

Boston looked better for the final three quarters of Game 4, but could not overcome its rough start. But let's not forget the Celtics won the first two games of this series on their home court and are now the smallest of underdogs for this game. I have faded Cleveland a lot during the postseason due to a bit too much respect from oddsmakers. This isn't any different.

NBA DAILY PREDICTION: BOSTON CELTICS +1

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