Cavaliers vs Celtics Prediction & Same Game Parlay picks: Strus comes out shooting at +1211 odds

The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to launch a comeback at home and squeeze past the Orlando Magic in Game 7 of the series. A matchup with the league leading Boston Celtics is their reward. The Celtics were somewhat fortunate to be taking on a Miami Heat team in the previous round without their star Jimmy Butler. They will not have have the same experience here, with Donovan Mitchell reminding everyo ne in his last few performances why he is one of the superstars of this league. You can check out all of our NBA picks for today's games, including Mavericks vs Thunder, but for now, let's jump into my Game 1 Cavaliers vs Celtics Same Game Parlay picks.

Under 209.5 (-110)

While 2 of the 3 games in the regular season between these sides went over this mark, the slower pace of the playoffs should make this a good value look. Of the remaining playoff teams, only the New York Knicks have played at a closer pace than the Celtics. The visiting Cavaliers have had success getting stops this postseason too, holding their previous opponents the Magic to under 100 points in 3 separate games. The hosts have achieved the same feat in 4 of their last 5 efforts. Evan Mobley could be a difference maker tonight too, having managed 5 blocks in each of the last 2 games. If he can stop the Celtics from getting easy looks on the inside, this should turn into a defensive battle. With Kristaps Porzingis remaining out, the Celtics should find it much tougher to force him out of the paint.

Max Strus 3+ made threes (+240)

While Max Strus is shooting only 31% from deep this season, there have been major signs of improvement. He has knocked down at least 40% from deep in each of the last 3 games. In those games he has made 9 of 21 shots from beyond the arc. From all of the playoff teams, the Celtics currently rank 10th out of 16 in opponent 3-point attempts per game. That should mean that the opportunities should be there for Strus to attack from the perimeter. Considering the form Donovan Mitchell has been in scoring the ball over the last few games, Strus should be able to get space to get his attempts off. He is making 40% of his attempts against the Celtics this season and has already had an 11 3-point attempt game against them this season.

Donovan Mitchell 6+ rebounds (+130)

Donovan Mitchell has been stuffing the stat sheet for the Cavaliers, and that includes his performance on the glass. While he is averaging 5 rebounds per game during the playoffs, he has hit this line in 2 of his last 3 games. That includes a 9-rebound performance in Game 7 against the Magic. The Celtics should prove to be a favorable opponent for the Cavaliers guards to rebound against. The hosts lead all playoff teams in 3-point attempts per game. That should ensure there is no shortage of misses for Mitchell to chase down here. The Cavaliers were able to hold the Magic to 30.9% shooting in the series, 4.3% lower than their regular season average. If they have similar success in forcing misses from the Celtics, it should set up the Cavaliers superstar to have a good defensive rebounding night.