NBA Best Bets Today: Fade Jayson Tatum, But Trust the Celtics
By Peter Dewey
NBA Christmas is almost here, but until then we're trying to make sense of the NBA's slate with several players in health and safety protocols here at BetSided.
Tonight, I'm focusing on the Boston Celtics-Cleveland Cavaliers matchup for two of my favorite bets, and I have another prop for Paul George in the Los Angeles Clippers-Sacramento Kings matchup as well.
Let's dive into the picks!
All odds courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.
NBA Best Bets Record to Date
- NBA Best Bets Record: 59-72-2
NBA Best Bets Today
- Boston Celtics -5.5 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (-110)
- Paul George OVER 7 Rebounds (-105)
- Jayson Tatum UNDER 28.5 Points (-115)
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics: Celtics -5.5 (-110)
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without several key players on Wednesday night as Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro and others are out due to the league’s health and safety protocols.
Cleveland will take on the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, but Boston is without Josh Richardson, Al Horford and few others due to the league’s protocols as well.
So how should we bet this game between two short-handed squads?
The Cavaliers are the best team in the NBA against the spread this season (24-5-2), but this is their first game without all three of Alen, Mobley and Okoro in the lineup.
That’s going to put a lot of pressure on Lauri Markkanen and Darius Garland on Wednesday, and I think this is Boston’s game to lose with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both healthy.
The Celtics did lose to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, but this defense should give the short-handed Cavs some trouble, as the Celtics rank 12th in the NBA in defensive rating.
Cleveland is getting respect from oddsmakers since it has been elite against the spread this year, but this is far from the Cavs team we are used to seeing.
Paul George OVER 7 Rebounds (-105)
Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers will face the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, and this could be a tough game for a Kings team with several players in health and safety protocols.
PG is coming off an elbow injury, but he returned against the San Antonio Spurs to score 25 points in their last game. However, I’m looking at George's rebound prop in this matchup.
The Kings are 25th in the NBA in rebounding percentage, and they allow opponents to grab 46.7 rebounds per game this season. George is averaging 7.2 boards per game this season, but I think we get to buy low on this prop considering his rebounding numbers have dipped since earlier in the season.
Jayson Tatum UNDER 28.5 Points (-115)
Jayson Tatum hasn’t shot the ball well this season, currently posting a field goal percentage of 42.2 percent while shooting 32.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Tatum’s number seems to be juiced because the Cavaliers have several players out, but Cleveland also plays at a bottom-10 pace and may try and muck this thing up since it is short handed.
Tatum has cleared this number just once in his last five games after a hot stretch earlier this month, and he put up 21 and 23 points in his first two games against the Cavs this season.
Dennis Schröder is back to take shots away from Tatum (kidding, but not completely), and Tatum is averaging just 25.9 points per game this season. Give me the under.