NBA : Cavs, Celtics Battle for First in the East

Could the Boston Celtics steal the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference? They’ve got a leg up on the Cleveland Cavaliers with just a handful of games left in the regular season – including Wednesday’s matchup at the Garden with the defending champions. ESPN has the coverage beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern.

After spending most of the year chasing down Cleveland, the Celtics finally caught up to them last week as the Cavs continued their late-season slide, which saw the champs go 7-10 SU and 6-11-1 ATS in March. And it all began with a 103-99 loss at the Garden; Cleveland coughed up the cash as 1-point road dogs, as Celtics PG Isaiah Thomas led all scorers with 31 points.

At least the Cavs are in better shape for the rematch. Kevin Love is back at power forward for Cleveland, and the Celtics could be without SF Jae Crowder, who’s listed as questionable for Wednesday after having his sore left elbow X-rayed on Sunday. Avery Bradley might also have to sit out for Boston at shooting guard after missing back-to-back games with the flu. Crowder and Bradley combined for 28 points and 12 rebounds in their last game against Cleveland.

NBA Odds: Cavs-Celtics Could Decide the East

With the regular season drawing to a close, the Boston Celtics find themselves on top of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference standings. They could do some serious damage to the champs this Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) when they welcome the Cavs to the Garden.
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Cleveland fell out of first place in the East during their disappointing 7-10 SU and 6-11-1 ATS performance in the month of March. The C’s went 11-5 SU and 7-9 ATS during the same span, starting with a 103-99 victory over the Cavs (minus Kevin Love) as 1-point home faves.