Surprise, surprise. The Boston Celtics are getting underestimated, and making the doubters pay once again. Boston entered the Eastern Conference Finals the underdog for a second straight series but have taken a 2-0 lead in the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The series is shifting to Cleveland for a pair of games, with the Cavs badly needing to take care of business in Game 3 in order to make this a competitive series. The Celtics were slight underdogs in Game 2 and cruised to the win. They are even bigger underdogs for this one and those bettors who have backed them throughout the playoffs will be happy to do so once again.
It remains to be seen if the betting public is finally going to get wary of betting against the Celtics or if the spread will remain high. Boston can take a huge step toward an NBA Finals appearance with a win over the Cavs in Game 3 but this one won’t be easy in NBA basketball wagering.
Game 3 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at 8:30 p.m. ET at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Odds Analysis
Despite losing the first two games of this series and being in a precarious position, the oddsmakers still have faith in the Cavaliers, instituting them as 6.5-point favorites to capture Game 3 and crawl back into this series. The betting public believes that spread is too high as more than 76 percent of the action is on the Celtics to cover.
The scoring total is listed at 204.5 points, with the “over” the more popular choice thus far. The Cavaliers are listed as -305 favorites to win this game on the moneyline while the Celtics are listed as +249 underdogs. Once again, the public is all over Boston as more than 88 percent of the action is on the Celtics to pull the upset at those odds.
Last Time Out
The Cavaliers actually led Game 2 by seven points at halftime but it was all Celtics after intermission. They outscored Cleveland by 14 points in the third quarter to take the lead and by six more in the fourth to cruise to a 107-94 victory.
Boston’s superior depth won out again as all five starters scored in double figures, led by Jaylen Brown with 23 points and seven rebounds. The Celtics got some big minutes from Marcus Smart off the bench as well, as he added 11 points and nine assists.
LeBron James had 21 points in the first quarter to stake his team to the lead and finished with 42 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, shooting 16-of-29 from the floor. Despite that fantastic performance, the Cavalier still fell short. Kevin Love added 22 points but the team got little from anyone else.
Player To Watch
J.R. Smith -- The Cavs shooting guard was 0-of-7 from the floor and didn’t score a single point in Game 2, and that’s they type of performance the team can’t have in Game 3. James is going to be great night in and night out, but Cleveland’s chances depend on the play of the supporting cast.
Smith and the other reserves have to pick it up or the Cavaliers could be facing elimination very soon. The fact that the game is at home should help the role players, who tend to shoot better in their own stadium.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Can the Cavaliers make this a series? The feeling here is yes. James should have another big game with a huge sense of urgency, while the complementary players will do better in this one. The Celtics will still be in the driver’s seat, but the Cavs are the pick to win Game 3. However, Boston is again the choice to cover in NBA basketball gambling.
NBA ATS Pick: Cavaliers 107, Celtics 103
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