Cleveland at Boston NBA Playoffs Betting Lines Game 2

The Golden State Warriors looked rusty in the opener of their conference final against the San Antonio Spurs, but the Cleveland Cavaliers had no such issues in their opener against Boston. Cleveland ran out to a 30-19 lead after one quarter and a 61-39 halftime lead. Boston may hold the top seed in the East, and they may hold home court advantage in this series, but they need to figure out how to play defense against Cleveland, as LeBron James now has 35 or more poitns in his last five games. Game 2 is set for Friday night.

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Cleveland at Boston NBA Playoffs Betting Lines Game 2

When: Friday, May 19, 2017, 8:30pm ET Where: TD Garden, Boston TV: TNT Radio: Cleveland / Boston Live Stream: NBA.tv NBA Odds: Cavaliers at -5½

Why should you bet on the Cavaliers?

Kevin Love and LeBron James combined for 70 of the Cavaliers’ 117 points in the series opener. The Celtics tried several different defenders on James, and he just shredded all of them. Love’s play inside let James spot up from the outside and drain shots. Sometimes he would back them in and then drop fadeaways over them, and sometimes he would blow by them on the dribble. Now the Cavaliers have won 12 consecutive postseason games and have won 33 of 37 playoff games against Eastern Conference foes. We need to see a lot more out of that Celtic defense if this series is even going to be competitive.

Why should you put your money on the Celtics?

Boston opened with 3-for- 14 shooting to start the game, which played a big role in Cleveland opening that immense lead early on. The likelihood that they will open that cold at home two games in a row is quite small; they had a lot of open looks but just saw shots rattle out. Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley led the way for Boston with 21 points apiece, and Isaiah Thomas chipped in 17. Kelly Olynyk was not the force inside that he was during the Washington series; he and Al Horford need to do more against Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love to make the Cleveland inside-out game less effective. But can they make the adjustments they need against this Cleveland juggernaut?

Betting Pick and Final Score Prediction

I see Boston making this game a lot closer, but I’m not confident that they can slow down Cleveland at this point. I predict a 112-107 win for the Cavaliers.