The Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will face off in an Eastern Conference clash across tonight’s 10-game NBA slate. Cleveland is looking to defend their Eastern Conference-leading record last year and are 3-1 to start the season. The Celtics are still learning to play without Jayson Tatum, as he remains sidelined with his Achilles tear and have slipped to 1-3 thus far.
Looking at the odds tonight, the Cavaliers enter as 3.5-point road favorites and hold -175 odds of getting the outright win on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Celtics hold +145 odds on the moneyline with the game total set at 234.5.
Below, I dive into three of my favorite player prop bets for Wednesday’s matchup between the Cavaliers and the Celtics on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Cavaliers vs. Celtics Player Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Evan Mobley Over 31.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-123)
The Evan Mobley leap may be happening right in front of our eyes. There have been high expectations since he was selected with the third overall pick in the 2021 Draft coming out of USC. He has gradually added layers to his game and earned Defensive Player of the Year and his first All-Star honors last season for the first time while posting averages of 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.
Mobley is now being leaned on a greater rate offensively within Cleveland’s attack, attempting a career-high 13.3 field goal attempts and 5.5 three-point attempts. He has tallied over 31.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists in two of the four games thus far. This is an extremely favorable matchup with Boston’s depth at the big man spot shaping up to be among the worst in the league. The production is headlined by Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, and Xavier Tillaman with none of these a particularly great matchup.
Expect Mobely to continue asserting himself and capitalize on the favorable matchup in this game. Cleveland is allowing him to scale up his overall opportunity and expect this to be on full display in this matchup. He is beginning to fully put it together on the floor as a talent and expect this to reflect in the box score tonight.
Payton Pritchard Over 15.5 Points (-114)
There is no way to fully replace the production that Jayson Tatum typically fills for the Celtics. But Payton Pritchard is near the top of the list of players tasked with trying. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has been injected into the starting lineup and is clocking a career-high 34.5 minutes per game on the year. Through his opening four games he is averaging 15.8 points along with 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
There was some concern with a bit of overlapping skillsets with Anfernee Simons, but there is a place in the offense for both and Pritchard has played a slightly more notable role thus far. While his size gives him some limitations, Pritchard is among the best pound-for-pound scorers in the league and can go on a game-changing heater at any point. Cleveland ranks seventh in the league in opponents points allowed, but they are more vulnerable on the perimeter compared to Mobley’s interior presence.
Pritchard has scored over 15.5 points in three of the four games thus far and attempted double digit shot attempts in every game. Boston still wants to get three-pointers up at a high rate and he will help contribute to this. Look for Pritchard to attack some of Cleveland’s more vulnerable perimeter defenders and record 16+ points for the fourth time already this season.
Sam Hauser to Record 3+ Made Three-Pointers (+101)
Another player who will play a key role in Boston’s identity as a high volume three-point shooting team is Sam Hauser. The Celtics showed their belief in the Virginia product by handing him a four year extension worth $45 million which kicked in this year. Hauser has seen his role scaled up in Tatum’s absence and is off to a career-best start. He is playing 25.0 minutes per game and averaging 10.8 points and 3.0 rebounds through his first four games.
This scoring production has almost exclusively come from beyond the three-point arc. Hauser is shooting 41.9% from the perimeter and averaging 3.3 made three-pointers per game. He is averaging 8.3 field goal attempts overall with 7.8 of these coming from beyond the three-point line. The 6-foot-8 forward is 13-for-31 on three-point attempts and just 1-for-2 on two pointers on the season.
Cleveland ranks 18th in opponents three-point attempts allowed so far this season, giving up 38.0 perimeter shots per game. Teams are also shooting 37.5% on these long-range shots which ranks 21st. Count on the Celtics looking to attack this area at a high level and for Hauser to help lead the charge. He has made at least two three-pointers in every game this year and as many as six in a game. Look for him to add to this in a friendly matchup and knock down at least three long-range shots tonight.
