Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, 3/17/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH

TV: Fox Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-5.5)

The Cleveland Cavaliers (14-24) play the Boston Celtics (20-18) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Wednesday. The line on this contest has Boston as 5.5-point favorites. The total opens at 227.

The Boston Celtics stepped onto the hardwood against the Houston Rockets and notched a win by a score of 134-107 in their last contest. Boston finished the contest with a 55.4% field goal percentage (51 of 92) and converted 18 out of their 37 three-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Celtics converted 14 of their 21 attempts for a rate of 66.7%. In the matter of getting rebounds, they earned 55 with 10 of them being offensive. They also dished out 29 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and having 8 steals. When it comes to defending, Boston allowed their opponent to shoot 38.5% from the floor on 35 of 91 shooting. Houston recorded 23 dimes and had 8 steals for this game. In addition, Houston collected 37 rebounds (10 offensive, 27 defensive) and got 3 blocks. Houston shot 67.7% at the charity stripe by making 21 of their 31 tries. They also made 16 out of their 50 shots from beyond the arc.

Jaylen Brown is a player who came through for the game. He finished with 24 points on 9 of 14 shooting. He played 26:45 minutes played and collected 2 boards. Brown finished the game at 64.3% from the field but finished the game without a dime. An additional guy that was a major contributor in this matchup for the Celtics was Jayson Tatum. He totaled 6 rebounds in his 28:22 min on the basketball court. He finished the game at 52.9% from the field in the game by going 9-of-17 (23 points). When all was said and done, Tatum totaled 6 assists.

Boston will enter this game with a mark of 20-18 on the year. They are averaging 112.2 points per game (18th in the league) while connecting on 46.9% from the field. The Celtics are connecting on 37.5% on shots from 3-point land (470 of 1,254) and 75.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Boston is collecting 44.0 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 856 assists on the year, which is 27th in the NBA in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 14.1 times per contest and as a unit are committing 20.8 personal fouls per contest. When they are on defense, the Celtics are forcing their opponents into 14.2 turnovers every game while drawing 20.1 fouls. They currently rank 7th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 894 surrendered on the year. The Celtics defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 46.6% (541 of 764) and they concede 41.7 boards per contest as a unit. They relinquish 36.4% on 3-point shots while they are 10th in the league in PPG allowed (111.0).

The last time they took the court, the Cleveland Cavaliers went home defeated by a final of 100-82 against the Atlanta Hawks. The Cavaliers were able to pull down 20 defensive boards and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 for the game. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 4 steals in this contest. The Hawks committed 21 fouls in this game which took the Cavaliers to the free throw line for a total of 23 attempts. They were able to knock down 12 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 52.2%. In reference to shots from 3-point land, Cleveland knocked down 8 out of 30 tries (26.7%). When all was said and done, the Cavaliers went 31 out of 81 from the field which gave them a percentage of 38.3%. The Cavaliers allowed the Hawks to make 32 out of 71 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.1% for the contest. They finished shooting 41.4% from three-point range by connecting on 12 out of 29 and finished the game at 24 of 26 from the free throw line (92.3%). In relation to rebounding, Cleveland allowed Atlanta to grab 49 in total (12 offensive).

Collin Sexton pitched in for the Cavaliers in this matchup. He made 5 of 17 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 29.4%, and had 2 rebounds. Sexton tallied 15 points in his 28:30 minutes of playing time and earned 1 assist in this contest. An additional guy who came through for Cleveland was Darius Garland. He came away with 7 assists in 29:27 mins on the court, and he shot 4 of 9 from the floor. Garland ended up shooting 44.4% from the field and also contributing 11 points and 1 rebound.

Cleveland has a win-loss mark of 14-24 on the year. The Cavaliers commit 19.2 personal fouls per contest and they go 72.0% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 23.2 times per game (23rd in the league) and they are losing possession via turnover 15.8 times per contest. Cleveland has accounted for 3,929 points for the year (103.4 per game) and they grab 43.2 boards per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Cavaliers are hitting on 45.0% from the field, which has them ranked 24th in basketball. The Cavaliers defensively are ranked 16th in basketball in points given up per game with 111.8. They have forced 15.5 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 48.0% from the floor (29th in the NBA). The Cleveland defense surrenders 39.6% on 3-pointers (485 of 1,226) and their opposition makes 77.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 24.4 dimes and 43.5 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 12th and 14th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Boston (-5.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here