Cavaliers vs. Celtics prediction and odds for Thursday, Dec. 14 (Back Cleveland)

The Cavaliers and the Celtics will square off for the second time this week tonight at TD Garden. The Cavs lost to the Celtics 120-113 despite Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell scoring a combined 55 points.

Cleveland will try to hand Boston its first loss at home this season, which won't be easy as they've won 11 straight games. The Cavaliers opened as 13.5-point underdogs over the Celtics, but that number has moved to 8.5.

Can the Cavaliers snap their two-game losing streak tonight in Bean? Or will the Celtics continue to defend home court?

Here are the odds and our best bet for Cleveland-Boston:

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Cleveland Cavaliers injury report

Boston Celtics injury report

Cleveland Cavaliers

Darius Garland: The 23-year-old point guard had 26 points (11-for-23 FG, 4-for-8 3pt), seven assists, and two blocks in the Cavs’ seven-point loss to the Celtics. Garland is a key piece to the Cavs’ success and needs to be that secondary scoring option with Evan Mobley still out. Garland is averaging 20.8 points, 6.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game this season.

Boston Celtics

Kristaps Porzingis: Porzingis didn’t shoot the ball well in Tuesday’s night win (5-for-16 FG), but he still scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. The veteran forward has been a solid addition to the Celtics as he gives the team a presence on offense and defense. Porzingis is averaging 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game this season.

The Cavaliers are looking to get back into a win column after dropping back-to-back games to the Magic and Celtics. In Tuesday night’s loss to Boston, Cleveland shot the ball well from the field (47.8%) and 3-point range (42.2%) but was outrebounded by 10. The Cavs also allowed the Celtics to go to the free-throw line 26 times.

Heading into tonight’s game, the Cavs need to make it a point of emphasis to attack the basket with Garland and Mitchell while continuing to make their perimeter shots. Cleveland is 4-2 against the spread as a road underdog and 5-3-2 ATS after a loss this season.

As for the Celtics, they’ve been dominant at TD Garden this season, sporting a pristine 11-0 record. Boston is outscoring opponents by 15.9 points per game at home, the best mark in the NBA. The Celtics also hold opponents to 44.2% shooting from the field and 107.7 points per game at TD Garden.

Boston is tough to defend, as they can beat you in multiple ways with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Porizingis. All three players can score 20 or more points in a blink of an eye. The Celtics are 7-4 ATS as a home favorite but only 6-9-1 ATS after a win this season. 

It’s hard not to back the Celtics tonight, especially with how they’ve played at home this season. However, this Cavaliers’ team played them tough and could’ve won if they had gone to the line more than nine times. With Garland and Mitchell, Cleveland can keep tonight’s game close and cover the spread.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.