A heated Eastern Conference playoff race takes center stage on Sunday afternoon when the Boston Celtics (42-21) march into Rocket Arena to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-24).
In the three-game season series against Cleveland, the Celtics have already won the first two. However, with only three games separating these teams in the standings, there's still a lot to play for in terms of playoff seeding. Tip-off is at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, live on ABC.
Below, we’ll break down our Celtics vs. Cavaliers prediction and Sunday NBA picks for PrizePicks. Use PrizePicks NBA to make picks on player projections and win real money if you’re right.
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Celtics vs. Cavaliers Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
The Celtics welcomed back F Jayson Tatum from his Achilles injury in their last game, a scary proposition for the rest of the NBA. Already the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, Boston now adds arguably its best player back into the fold. He wasted no time in making his presence felt.
Against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, Tatum played 27 minutes in his first game in 298 days — a remarkable achievement in its own right. Tatum went for 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists. Despite a shaky shooting start early, he showed flashes of the Tatum of old.
“Yes” on the Celtics to hoist their NBA-record 19th Larry O’Brien Trophy is currently returning a 6.66x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks.
Cleveland got off to a roaring start after acquiring PG James Harden, winning its first five games with him on the team. Since then, the Cavs are just 3-3 and have battled some minor health issues regarding a few of their key players. Despite this slight hiccup, they still sit in the No. 4 seed in the East and have a prime opportunity to gain ground on the Celtics.
Cleveland has the 29th-toughest remaining strength of schedule, while the Celtics have the toughest.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers Spread, Over/Under
This game is a pick-em, with each team returning a 1.85x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
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- Spread: Boston Celtics -1.5 (1.96x payout)
- Over/Under: 224.5 (1.85x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Celtics 1.85x | Cavaliers 1.85x
Team Picks payouts are live as of writing and are subject to change.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Celtics vs. Cavaliers injury report for Sunday, via NBA.com.
Celtics Injury Report
- G Baylor Scheierman (thumb): Available
- C Nikola Vucevic (finger): OUT
Cavaliers Injury Report
- C Jarrett Allen (knee): OUT
- G Keon Ellis (finger): Available
- PG James Harden (thumb): Available
- SG Donovan Mitchell (groin): Probable
- G Tyrese Proctor (quad): OUT
- SF Max Strus (foot): OUT
- F-G Jaylon Tyson (neck): Questionable
- F Dean Wade (ankle): Probable
Celtics vs. Cavaliers Prediction on Spread
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your Celtics vs. Cavaliers prediction on the spread for Sunday, March 8, on PrizePicks.
- The Celtics are 21-11-0 (65.6%) against the spread (ATS) on the road, the second-best road cover percentage in the NBA.
- Cleveland is 13-19-0 (40.6%) ATS at home, the fourth-worst home cover clip.
- Boston has a season-long net rating of +8.2, 3.9 points better than the Cavaliers at +4.3. In the last 10 games, that gap only widens (+12.8 vs. +7.0).
- The Celtics have covered this projected spread in both prior games between these two teams.
- Over their last 15 games, the C’s have the best rebounding percentage in the league (56%). The Cavaliers rank 12th over that same timespan at 50.4%.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers Picks for PrizePicks Today: 3/8/26
Here are two of the top Celtics vs. Cavaliers to consider for Sunday, March 8, on PrizePicks. Today’s NBA picks for PrizePicks are headlined by F Jaylen Brown and SG Donovan Mitchell.
Celtics F Jaylen Brown vs. Cavaliers Projection: 35.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Before Tatum’s return, this number consistently hovered around 41.5-43.5 for Brown.
- JB is averaging a career-high 7.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. In February, those numbers increased to 8.7 and 5.2, respectively. So far in March, they're up even higher to 8.7 and 7.3.
- In Tatum's first game back, Brown shot 52.9% from the field and 40% from deep, both improvements on his season-long numbers. He also went for 24-7-7, comfortably clearing this projected number.
- This is a tempo-up game for the Celtics, who rank last in the league in pace, while the Cavaliers rank 12th.
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Cavaliers SG Donovan Mitchell vs. Celtics Projection: 35.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Mitchell has missed the last four games with a groin injury. While there are no reports about a minutes limit, that could make a big difference in whether he hits this projection.
- The Celtics have held opponents to just 44% shooting from the field, the second-best mark in the NBA.
- Boston has also limited foes to the seventh-fewest rebounds (41.9) and sixth-fewest assists (24.8) per game.
- In his only other game vs. Boston this season, Mitchell went for 18-7-8 (30 PRA).
Make Celtics vs. Cavaliers Picks on PrizePicks
We may be looking at a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview today, but Celtics vs. Cavaliers picks aren’t the only way hoops fans can get in on the daily NBA action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 34 states.
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