Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers 11/2/22 - NBA Picks & Predictions

In the first game of a Wednesday night NBA on ESPN doubleheader, the Boston Celtics will invade Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics (4-2) ranked second in the league in defensive efficiency a season ago for head coach Ime Udoka, but have fallen to 23rd in that category. On Sunday, Boston raced out to a 19-point lead after one quarter and cruised to a 112-94 home victory versus Washington.

Boston G Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 24 points on 7-for-18 from the field and pulled down ten boards. All-Star F Jayson Tatum chipped in 23 points and four rebounds for the Celtics, who held the Wizards to 39 percent shooting.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a breakthrough season with a young roster and added All-Star G Donovan Mitchell in a trade with Utah. The Cavaliers (5-1) dropped their season opener and have reeled off five straight victories by an average of 15 points. On Sunday, Cleveland outscored New York by 22 points during the fourth quarter to rally for a 121-108 home victory. 

Cleveland G Donovan Mitchell exploded for a game-high 38 points on 12-for-20 shooting and dished out a career-best 12 assists. Evan Mobley contributed 16 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers, who knocked down 23-for-50 from the three-point line.