Celtics vs Cavaliers picks - Feb 4

A seven-game slate in the NBA on Tuesday night is headlined by a huge Eastern Conference showdown between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston won the NBA title last year and is certainly in the mix to do the same in 2024-25, but right now it is Cleveland that is the best team in the association. The Cavaliers come into this one with a 40-9 record, while the Celtics are not too far behind in the Eastern Conference standings at 35-15. They have split the two previous head-to-head meetings this season at one win apiece, so this is a proverbial rubber match. 

Prior to tip-off, which is at 7:30 pm ET with the game airing live on TNT, let’s take a look at the odds and Celtics vs Cavs best bets to make. 

Predictions 

Pick #1: Cleveland Cavaliers -2 over Boston Celtics (-105) 

Pick #2: Under 238 (-110) 

Pick #3: Darius Garland Over 20.5 points (-125) 

PICK #1: Cavaliers -2 over Celtics (-105) 

The Cavaliers are on fire at the moment, just as they have been really all season long. They have won four straight games by margins of 19 points, 20 points, 22 points and 43 points. Cleveland boasts an especially dominant record at home (24-3, the best such record in the association). The Celtics kept it close at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse back on December 1, but the Cavaliers ultimately prevailed 115-111.  

Boston, of course, is no slouch. It is 19-6 on the road this season and has won three in a row heading into Tuesday. On the downside, Jayson Tatum has shot worse than 50 percent from the floor in all but two games since the calendar turned from 2024 to 2025. Not even an opponent like the Celtics makes it a wise investment to bet against Cleveland – especially in its own building. 

PICK #2: Under 238 (-110) 

The Celtics will probably be content to implement a methodic style of play on the road against arguably the best team in the NBA. It’s something they do anyway, ranking No. 22 in the league in pace of play (possessions per game). That along with the simple fact that Boston plays sounds defense are big reasons why head coach Joe Mazzulla's squad is giving up only 108.5 points per game – the second-fewest in the Eastern Conference behind only the Orlando Magic. Cleveland isn’t far behind in either department, surrendering 111.8 points per contest and ranking No. 17 in pace of play over the past three games. 

Tatum may have a hard time getting back on track against this particular opponent. Cleveland big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are formidable defenders in the paint, likely leaving Tatum to try and finally find his outside shot. At the other end of the floor, Cavaliers guard Max Strus has scored in single-figures in seven of the last 10 contests. Each of the first two head-to-head matchups in the 2024-25 campaign stayed under this 238 number (237 in Boston and 226 in Cleveland) and more of the same can be expected tonight. 

PICK #3: Darius Garland Over 20.5 points (-125) 

Garland is averaging 21.7 points per game and right now he is playing even better than that impressive number. The 25-year-old point guard has scored 20 points or more in 10 of the last 12 games, with 39-point and 40-point barrages during this stretch. Garland put up 22 points against the Celtics the last time these two teams squared off in Cleveland, and that was even though he shot a pedestrian 5-for-12 from the floor. That gave the Vanderbilt product 52 points in his last two home outings against Boston, having previously poured in 30 during Game 4 of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinal series. All signs point to another strong performance from Garland on Tuesday night.