Celtics vs. Cavaliers Pick
Are the new-look Boston Celtics going to upset the revamped Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night in their NBA season opener? Game time is 8PM EST.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Cavaliers are a 4-point favorite on the spread and a -165 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Celtics are +135 to win on the moneyline, while the over-under is 213 points.
This is a highly-anticipated matchup to open the season after the huge summer trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Celtics in exchange for a package that included Isaiah Thomas. Boston also signed Gordon Hayward to a max contract and have a roster that is almost unrecognizable from a year ago when it posted the best record in the Eastern Conference before falling to the Cavaliers in the postseason.
Cleveland won seven of nine meetings last year and went 4-4-1 against the spread versus Boston. The over-under went 5-4.
Thomas averaged 28.9 points for the Celtics last year, while Irving put in 25.2 points per game for the Cavaliers. Hayward scored 21.9 points per for the defensive-minded Jazz and could bump that average up with Boston. Of course, Cleveland still has its superstar in LeBron James after he led the way to the NBA Finals last year with averages of 26.4 points along with 8.7 assists and 8.6 rebounds.
The Celtics are 3-0-1 against the spread in the last three meetings in Cleveland.
The Celtics should still be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this year, but with so many new parts it might take a while to gel. While the Cavs also also have new faces, the rock that is LeBron will provide a solidifying force. Look for King James to be the difference in the opener as he will be in so many games this year.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: CLEVELAND CAVALIERS -4