Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, 5/12/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-4)

The Boston Celtics (35-33) head to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Wednesday where they'll meet the Cleveland Cavaliers (21-48). The odds on this game have Boston as 4-point favorites. The total is set at 224.5.

The Boston Celtics faced off with the Miami Heat and ended up losing by a score of 130-124 in their last contest. Boston walked away from the contest having earned a 54.2% field goal percentage (45 of 83) and buried 14 of 38 3-pointers. When they shot from the free throw line, the Celtics converted 20 of 25 attempts for a rate of 80.0%. In the matter of pulling down rebounds, they earned a total of 34 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 29 dimes in the matchup as well as forcing 11 turnovers and having 7 steals. In relation to the defense, Boston let their opponent shoot 57.3% from the floor on 47 out of 82 shooting. Miami earned 30 dimes and had 8 steals for the game. In addition, Miami pulled down 35 rebounds (3 offensive, 32 defensive) and had 3 blocks. Miami finished the contest at 90.9% from the charity stripe by making 20 of 22 tries. They also converted 16 of 35 shots from 3-point range.

Evan Fournier is one guy who was a factor in the game. He walked away with 30 points on 11 out of 16 shooting. He saw the court for 35:00 mins and totaled 3 boards. Fournier ended up shooting 68.8% from the floor and also distributed 8 assists. One more player that had an impact in this contest for the Celtics was Jayson Tatum. He snagged 5 rebounds in his 38:22 minutes on the basketball court. He finished the game at 68.8% from the field in this matchup by connecting on 11-of-16 (29 points). When the game finished, Tatum tallied 6 assists.

Boston comes into this one with a win-loss record of 35-33 for the year. They are averaging 112.9 points per outing (16th in the NBA) while going 46.8% from the floor. The Celtics are shooting 37.4% on 3-point shots (920 of 2,457) and 77.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Boston is collecting 44.4 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 1,598 assists for the season, which has them ranked 24th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 14.2 times per contest and as a group are committing 20.4 fouls every game. Defensively, the Celtics are forcing 14.1 turnovers every game and they draw 19.4 personal fouls. The Celtics defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 46.4% (961 of 1,319) and they surrender 42.2 rebounds per game as a unit. They are ranked 9th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,642 surrendered this season. They give up 37.5% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 12th in the league in points per game allowed (111.3).

The last time they took the court, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a defeat with a final score of 111-102 against the Indiana Pacers. The Cavaliers collected 35 defensive boards and 15 offensive rebounds totaling 50 for this game. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while recording 8 steals in this contest. The Pacers were called for 21 personal fouls in this contest which got the Cavaliers to the free throw line for 30 tries. They were able to make 23 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 76.7%. With regard to shooting from 3-point land, Cleveland made 13 out of 39 tries (33.3%). When the game finished, the Cavaliers finished 33 out of 93 from the field which had them at 35.5%. The Cavaliers permitted the Pacers to make 44 of their 88 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 50.0% for the matchup. They finished 40.7% from distance by going 11 of 27 and finished the game at 12 out of 16 from the charity stripe (75.0%). With respect to rebounding, Cleveland permitted Indiana to get 47 in all (10 offensive).

Collin Sexton ended up having an impact for the Cavaliers in this matchup. He buried 7 of 26 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 26.9%, and accounted for 5 rebounds. Sexton earned 25 points in his 36:39 mins on the court and had 8 dimes for the contest. Someone else that was pivotal for Cleveland was Isaac Okoro. He accumulated 4 assists in his 42:32 mins on the hardwood, and he put in 8 of 20 from the floor. Okoro ended up shooting 40.0% from the field in addition to earning 22 points and 10 boards.

Cleveland has a mark of 21-48 this season. The Cavaliers are responsible for committing 18.3 personal fouls per game and they connect on 74.3% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 23.9 times per contest (21st in the NBA) and they turn it over 15.4 times per contest. Cleveland has scored 7,160 pts this year (103.8 per game) and they pull in 42.5 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Cavaliers are connecting on 45.0% from the field, which is ranked 25th in the NBA. The Cavaliers defensively are ranked 17th in the NBA in points allowed per contest with 112.3. They have surrendered 25.4 dimes and 43.8 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 20th and 14th in the league. The Cleveland defense gives up 38.3% on 3-point attempts (858 of 2,238) and opponents are knocking down 77.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They are able to force 14.5 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 48.6% from the field (29th in the NBA).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Boston (-4)

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