3 Best NBA Bets and Player Props for Celtics at Cavaliers

Even within a single NBA game, betting markets are abundant.

You can bet traditional markets like the spread or the total, but we've also got tons of player-prop markets to sift through.

Which bets stand out today as the Boston Celtics face the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Let's dig into the best bets in FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA betting odds, utilizing FanDuel Research's NBA projections to try to find value.

Celtics at Cavaliers Betting Picks

Cavaliers Moneyline (-112)

The Cavaliers (40-9) and Celtics (35-15) will kick off tonight's NBA on TNT doubleheader with a potential Eastern Conference Finals teaser. We can get the team with a league-best 81.6% win percentage -- and an 88.9% home win percentage -- at -112 odds to win outright. Though a healthy, motivated, and intimidating Celtics roster waits on the other side, that's something I can get behind.

Boston's momentum might be all the way back after capping off a three-game win streak with a 26-point second-half comeback over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. Even still, the last two months have shown us the Celtics are fallible, at least in the regular season.

The same can hardly be said for this Cavs team. They've posted an astonishing +13.4 net rating at home this season, nearing Boston's 2023-24 numbers. The Celtics are one of just seven teams to get the better of Cleveland this season, though it took 22-for-41 (53.7% 3P%) shooting from downtown. Despite outscoring the Cavs by 36 points from long range, the Celtics took that game by just three points.

That helps speak to Cleveland's interior advantage with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Plus, another clinic from downtown might not be in the cards for Boston. We're at the point where opponents may start begging Jaylen Brown to shoot after seeing him go 21-for-72 (29.22% 3P%) from downtown and 58-for-78 from the charity stripe in 2025 -- not to mention some head-shaking turnovers. He's just not at top form right now.

Another route I like is backing Cleveland to Win by 1-10 points (+200). Boston has kept 11 of their 15 losses within single digits. BOS-CLE meetings have been decided by three and four points this year. This isn't a situation where the Celtics won't show up, so I like the idea of getting plus money by betting on a close game.

Derrick White Over 21.5 Pts + Reb + Ast (-113)

I'm not going to stop betting on Derrick White's combined points, rebounds, and assist (PRA) prop if we keep getting it at this line.

White has exceeded 21.5 PRA in 74.5% of games (35 out of 47) -- up from the 53.1% implied probability on these -113 odds.

He's topped 21.5 PRA in 81.0% of games (17 out of 21) against the top 15 defenses in the league, putting him in a good spot to thrive against Cleveland's ninth-ranked defense.

It's not as if White has seen an output or usage decrease as of late. He's posted at least 23 PRA in seven of his last nine and notched 27 PRA his last time out. He also managed 30 PRA in his lone game against Cleveland this season. To add, the total is sitting all the way up at 239.0 points.

I see every reason to go back to the well on White until the market starts to change the line. Our NBA projections forecast him to nab 24.7 PRA in this one.

Max Strus 2+ Made Threes (-155)
Max Strus 3+ Made Threes (+190)
Max Strus 4+ Made Threes (+550)

Max Strus began his season on December 20th and worked his way back into Cleveland's starting lineup by January 20th.

Since January 8th -- Strus' eighth game back from his ankle injury -- he's been averaging 2.4 three-point makes. He made at least two threes in 10 of those 14 games (71.4%) and nailed at least three in five contests.

As a starter, he has drained at least two threes in all but one of eight games.

There is value to be had in laddering Strus' made threes props and he's in for an ideal matchup against Boston. The Celtics surrender the fifth-most 3PA and the sixth-most 3PM to opposing guards.

Dating back to his tenure with the Miami Heat, Strus has always had Boston's number and he's coming into this matchup at the perfect time. Not only has his three-point volume climbed with his efficiency, but the Celtics have been on the other end of some serious individual three-point barrages this season. I like his chances to make a meal out of Boston's perimeter defense, and we're getting some pretty enticing odds to back him.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.