Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics (+1, 206)
Series tied 2-2.
The Cleveland Cavaliers recovered to even the Eastern Conference Finals at two games apiece and now look to solve the homecourt mastery of the Boston Celtics. Second-seeded Boston is 9-0 at TD Garden this postseason and Cleveland can end the Celtics' unbeaten mark if it can win its third straight outing.
Boston coach Brad Stevens didn't get too wound up over Monday's 111-102 setback as he simplified the task staring at his team. "It's a best two of three to go to the NBA Finals. It doesn't get much better than that," Stevens said in Monday's postgame press conference. "In this deal, it's a blast to have to grit your teeth, get up off the mat and go after it again. That's part of what makes these guys on both sides special." LeBron James carried the fourth-seeded Cavaliers to Monday's win with a 44-point effort that marks his sixth 40-point performance, the most in a single postseason since Philadelphia's Allen Iverson also had six such outings in 2001. "We know it's going to be a hostile environment," James told reporters of Game 5. "We know their fans are going to be very energetic. But we have to just have our same mindset we had when we came home for two games. If our minds are there, we put ourselves in a position to be victorious."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
SERIES PRICE (PER WESTGATE LV SUPERBOOK):
LINE HISTORY: This game opened as a Pick 'Em, however, what appears to be sharp betting action has come in on the Cavaliers pushing the pointspread to CLE -1 as of Tuesday night. The total hit betting boards at 206 and has yet to move. Check out the complete line history here.
WHAT SHARPS SAY: "When the Eastern Conference Finals began, the Cavaliers had a 72 percent chance to win the series. However, after losing the first two games and trailing 0-2, the Cavaliers had only a 33% chance of winning the series. Now Cleveland has won back-to-back games and with the series tied 2-2, the Cavaliers now have a 63% chance of winning the Eastern Conference title." - Covers Experts' Steve Merril.
INJURY REPORT:
Cavaliers - No injuries to report.
Celtics - PG S. Larkin (Questionable, Shoulder), PG K. Irving (Out For Season, Knee), PF D. Theis (Out For Season, Knee), SF G. Hayward (Out For Season, Ankle).
MATCHUP CHART:
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (60-37 SU, 38-58-1 ATS, 45-50-2 O/U): James was 17-of-28 shooting in Game 4 as he topped 40 points for the second time in a three-game span. Veteran swingman Kyle Korver (14 points, three blocked shots) is 13-of-20 shooting with eight 3-pointers over the past three games, while center Tristan Thompson (13 points, 12 rebounds) enjoyed his best showing of the series and third double-double of the postseason. Power forward Kevin Love averaged just 11 points on 7-of-24 shooting in the two victories after averaging 19.5 points in the two losses in Boston and is shooting just 37.5 percent in the series.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (65-33 SU, 61-35-2 ATS, 52-45-1 O/U): Boston won its two home games by average of 19 points but things didn't go so smoothly in Cleveland as it lost by an average of 19.5 points. "We missed a bunch of easy opportunities," shooting guard Jaylen Brown said of the Game 4 loss. "We made some bad turnovers and things like that. But we still had opportunities to get into the game and to win." Brown is averaging 20.3 points in the series and his 25-point effort in Game 4 was his third 20-point outing in the East finals.
CHEERLEADER BATTLE:
TRENDS:
* Cavaliers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Celtics are 18-6 ATS in their last 24 home games.
* Over is 6-2 in Cavaliers' last 8 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Over is 7-1 in Celtics' last 8 games following a straight up loss.
* Under is 10-3 in the last 13 meetings in Boston.
Click here for complete list of hot and cold trends.
COVERS CONSENSUS:
There are 63 percent of pointspread bets on the home Celtics while 56 percent of total bets are on the Over. Find up-to-date Covers Consensus numbers here.
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