The Boston Celtics have the home court advantage as they prepare for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference. But the Cleveland Cavaliers have LeBron James. This series has been back and forth throughout and now will head to a deciding game with a berth in the NBA Finals on the line.
Boston has been great at home in the playoffs, going undefeated in 10 contests, but playing against James in a winner-take-all matchup has to be disconcerting. The Celtics have taken care of business in three home games in this series and the oddsmakers have made them slight favorites to win and move on to the championship series.
The Garden is going to be buzzing and this one could be a classic as James will do everything he can to help the Cavs claim this series in NBA basketball gambling.
Game 7 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Sunday, May 27, 2018 at 8:30 p.m. ET at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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
The Celtics have been posited as the 2.5-point favorites in Game 7, and about 55 percent of the early action is on Boston to cover the spread.
The scoring total is listed at 200.5 points, and the “over” has gotten nearly 63 percent of the action.
The Celtics are -140 favorites on the moneyline while the Cavs are the slight underdogs at +120. Cleveland is getting 59 percent of the action to pull off the upset and make it to another NBA Finals.
Last Time Out
James was a monster in Game 6, finishing with 46 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. He hit a pair of dagger three-pointers in the closing minutes as the Cavaliers went on to the 109-99 victory. While James was amazing, he did get some help.
George Hill had 20 points while Jeff Green was huge off the bench, contributing 14 points and three rebounds. Larry Nance, Jr. was another reserve who had a good game, adding 10 points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals.
The Celtics were led by Terry Rozier, who had 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting, and Jaylen Brown added 27 points. Jayson Tatum scored 15 but was quiet for long stretches, while Al Horford had only six points in the contest.
Boston shot well from the field but were badly out-rebounded and needs to do a better job on the glass in Game 7.
Injury Report
Cavaliers forward Kevin Love injured his head in a collision with Tatum in the first half of Game 6 and didn’t return. Cleveland has yet to say if Love suffered a concussion on the play. If he did, it seems very unlikely Love will be able to play in Game 7.
This is a huge injury, as Love is the second-best player on the Cavaliers and the team’s chance at pulling the upset would be diminished without him on the floor. Love brings a nice combination of rebounding and outside shooting which the Cavaliers would miss if he has to sit.
Free NBA ATS Picks
James played 46 minutes in Game 6 and he will need to rev it back up in Game 7 to get his team to another NBA Finals. It’s really hard to pick against him in a decisive game, but the absence of Love could be a big one.
The Celtics are the more balanced team and as long as James doesn’t take over the game, they should be able to hold on and claim a close one. Boston is the pick to win Game 7 as well as cover the spread to get to the NBA Finals in NBA basketball gambling.
NBA ATS Pick: Celtics 99, Cavaliers 95
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