The second round of the NBA playoffs in the Eastern Conference will feature the Boston Celtics taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics got past the Heat in the first round in five games, while the Cavaliers needed Game 7 to beat the Magic and advance. Boston won the season series between these teams 2-1 but will be without Kristaps Porzingis for this series as he deals with a calf strain. The Cavaliers are coming into this contest without much rest, but could be getting some key rotation pieces back soon.
Here’s a look at some of our best series prop bets for this matchup, with odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers series props
Celtics to win Game 1/Celtics to win series (-400)
Cleveland needed the biggest Game 7 comeback in NBA history to take out a youthful, inexperienced Orlando side at home. The Cavaliers are gassed, with Donovan Mitchell specifically running on fumes over the last two games. There’s little reason to believe this group will be able to hang with a well-oiled Boston machine in Game 1. While the Porzingis injury does hurt the Celtics, I don’t think the Cavaliers have enough secondary playmakers to really challenge Boston in this series.
Over 5.5 games in series (+155)
There’s a lot of value here, especially if Cleveland can get Jarrett Allen back by at least Game 3. The Cavaliers had one of their worst offensive showings in the series against Orlando, and that’s unlikely to happen again. Even though the Celtics overwhelmed the Heat, Miami didn’t have the go-to scorer Cleveland does in Mitchell. I do think the Cavaliers can win a couple home games to at least play in front of their fans a third time. I don’t see this series going to Game 7, but I think Porzingis being out and Allen returning would be enough to send the series to Game 6.
Celtics to win series 4-2 (+450)
Boston has the same odds to sweep (+190) or win the series in five games (+190) but I’ve already said above I see this series going past five games. Al Horford is a solid fill-in guy for Porzingis but the Cavaliers should feel confident in Evan Mobley and Allen if he returns to have an advantage there. Boston’s perimeter guys are better overall and that should eventually be the difference in this series. I think the Cavs got a bit of a wake-up call in the first round and should play better, which will make this series go longer than the Celtics want it to. I do believe Boston eventually does prevail in six games.