Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, the Cavaliers look much better today on their home court. After two quarters, neither squad has the matchup in the bag, but the Cavaliers lead 51-49 over the Celtics. The finale is shaping up to be a lot like these teams’ last head-to-head, which was decided by just three points.
The Cavaliers came into the contest with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Boston Celtics @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Current Records: Boston 16-3, Cleveland 17-3
How To Watch
- When: Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 6 p.m. ET
- Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse — Cleveland, Ohio
- TV: NBATV
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $65.66
What to Know
The Boston Celtics are taking a road trip to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Celtics will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
The Celtics are headed into Sunday’s matchup after beating the impressive 243-point over/under the oddsmakers set for their last game against the Bulls. The Celtics came out on top against the Bulls by a score of 138-129 on Friday. The score was all tied up 67-67 at the break, but Boston was the better team in the second half.
The Celtics’ success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jayson Tatum led the charge by dropping a double-double on 35 points and 14 rebounds. What’s more, Tatum also posted a 66.7% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in October. Payton Pritchard was another key player, going 7 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 29 points plus seven rebounds.
The Cavaliers have been a dominant force so far, but they’re in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. The contest between them and the Hawks wasn’t particularly close, with the Cavaliers falling 117-101. The match marked Cleveland’s lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Despite the defeat, the Cavaliers had strong showings from Darius Garland, who went 11 for 19 en route to 29 points plus five assists, and Evan Mobley, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 12 rebounds. Mobley is trending in the right direction considering he’s improved his point production for three straight games.
Boston pushed their record up to 16-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road. As for Cleveland, their loss dropped their record down to 17-3.
Looking forward, the Celtics are expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. This contest will be their 14th straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 6-7 against the spread).
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Boston and Cleveland are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. The Celtics haven’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 121.2 points per game (they’re ranked second in scoring overall). However, it’s not like the Cavaliers (currently ranked first) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging 122.4. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Odds
Boston is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Cleveland, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 234.5 points.
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Series History
Boston has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Cleveland.
- Nov 19, 2024 – Boston 120 vs. Cleveland 117
- May 15, 2024 – Boston 113 vs. Cleveland 98
- May 13, 2024 – Boston 109 vs. Cleveland 102
- May 11, 2024 – Boston 106 vs. Cleveland 93
- May 09, 2024 – Cleveland 118 vs. Boston 94
- May 07, 2024 – Boston 120 vs. Cleveland 95
- Mar 05, 2024 – Cleveland 105 vs. Boston 104
- Dec 14, 2023 – Boston 116 vs. Cleveland 107
- Dec 12, 2023 – Boston 120 vs. Cleveland 113
- Mar 06, 2023 – Cleveland 118 vs. Boston 114
