Cavaliers vs Celtics Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: White Shows Out With Brown Sidelined

In the first part of one of the NBA’s so-called “baseball series” sets that have grown in popularity with schedule makers this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers very nearly stole one at TD Garden on Tuesday with Evan Mobley out of action.

The Cavaliers roared out to an early lead that stretched over double digits in the first quarter, and only Jaylen Brown's heroics managed to prevent complete disaster. The Boston Celtics slowly played their way back into the game and came away with the win, but with Brown’s status questionable, they may need to look in another direction for offense on Thursday, December 14. Nevertheless, the Celtics are still big favorites to win in the NBA odds.

My NBA picks and predictions for Cavaliers vs. Celtics believe Derrick White will play a key role as these teams square off for the second time in three days.

Cavaliers vs Celtics odds

Cavaliers vs Celtics predictions

Tuesday's matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics was a pretty spicy one, but it was almost over before it began after a strong early push by the Cavs. If not for Jaylen Brown, Boston would have lost control of this game early.

With Brown’s status tonight in question thanks to an ankle sprain, the character of this matchup is going to look differently than the game from two days ago. The Celtics have been highly conservative with bringing their star players back from injury this season, so I suspect that Brown will not suit up or will do so in a limited fashion.

With Brown out, the Celtics will have to look elsewhere for backup behind Jayson Tatum. I expect that mostly that will mean more on-ball excellence from one of the NBA’s most underrated players: Derrick White. He’s off to his most efficient start as an NBA player and is over 65% true shooting through 19 games. 

That’s an absurd mark, with White scoring at career-best rates from two, three, and the foul line. He’s also an excellent passer, averaging a career-high 5.1 assists per game.

The beautiful part of White’s game is his scalability. He can touch the ball 10 times or 100 times and he’s going to give you consistent production either way. He’s a great off-ball shooter but he can also dribble, pass, and score inside.

That offensive versatility is why White is the most likely beneficiary if Brown does end up sitting. Brown spearheaded the bench lineups as the lone starter on Tuesday, a role I believe White slots into most naturally if Brown can’t go. While Jrue Holiday is another possibility, White is the better playmaker and scorer at this point in their respective careers. 

White’s points + assists prop has gone Over in eight straight games, and he’s averaging 22.3 combined over his last 10 outings. With the likelihood that he has an elevated role on Thursday, these Derrick White odds seem entirely too low.

My best bet: Derrick White Over 20.5 points + assists (-115 at bet365)

Cavaliers vs Celtics same-game parlay

Derrick White Over 20.5 points + assists

Kristaps Porzingis Over 20.5 points

Donovan Mitchell Under 27.5 points 

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Like every Celtic not named Brown, Kristaps Porzingis got off to a slow start on Tuesday. He played passively as Brown, White, and Tatum did most of the damage on offense. 

But he finally got loose in the third quarter for 13 quick points and that is precisely when the game turned for Boston. Porzingis is the ultimate matchup killer against teams that play a traditional center and are not adept at switching on the perimeter. 

A lot of 7-footers will take a three, but almost none of them have the speed of release that KP has. When he catches, he is getting that thing up so fast that a center has no chance to contest. And when they anticipate the shot and close early, he’s become comfortable driving and scoring.

Donovan Mitchell had a solid game, chipping in 29 points, but the Celtics are a fearsome perimeter defense. He didn’t have much success inside the arc, and it was his five threes that buoyed his entire performance. Mitchell has only shot 34.9% from downtown for the season, so that doesn’t feel sustainable.

Mitchell is averaging 25.3 points over his last 10 games and has scored 27 or fewer in six of his past nine. 

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Cavaliers vs Celtics spread and Over/Under analysis

The Celtics opened as 10.5-point favorites, but with Brown officially questionable, that’s come down to -8.5 at most sportsbooks. There is still quite a bit of variance among available oddsmakers, however, so price hunting is worth it if you want to play the spread.

The Cavaliers covered the 11-point spread on Tuesday, and that’s been part of the general trend for the Celtics of late. They’ve been one of the poorer teams against the spread over the past two weeks. Despite going 3-1 straight up, they have a -5.5-spread differential in that same time.

The Cavs have been far from inspiring themselves, though. They’re just barely keeping their head above water in terms of point differential and have yet to look like the team that ended up with one of the strongest statistical resumes in the NBA last season.

Tonight's total has held steady at 226.5, despite the final score for Tuesday’s contest coming in at 120-113. The Cavaliers have been a lopsided team all season long, but they’ve been even more extreme in their excellence on defense and their ineptitude on offense in recent games. 

They simply can’t generate scoring from anywhere other than the perimeter, and Jarrett Allen has done yeoman’s work protecting the basket. However, Mobley’s absence hurts their chances of keeping this a low-scoring affair, and Boston's ability to pull Allen away from the paint and attack the rim led to much of their success on Tuesday. 

Cavaliers vs Celtics betting trend to know

The Under is 8-4 in the Cavs' last 12 games played on one day's rest. Find more NBA betting trends for Cavaliers vs. Celtics.

Cavaliers vs Celtics game info

Cavaliers vs Celtics latest injuries

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