Our ratings lean toward the Celtics at home against the Cavaliers on Monday, December 28, at about 69%. That is a real edge, but the Cavaliers are far from out of it.
How the Win Meter reads
The Win Meter reads the Celtics 69%, with a projected score of Cleveland Cavaliers 111, Boston Celtics 116. The rating gap is 36 points in favor of the Celtics, and home court and rest add about 100 rating points for the Celtics on top of that.
Readings in this range leave plenty of room for the other side. About 31 times in 100 games like this, the Cavaliers would win.
Recent form
The Cavaliers are 0-1 this season and 0-5 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -17. The Celtics are 1-1 this season and 1-4 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -8.4.
The Cavaliers were beaten 130-93 at home by NYK not long ago.
The Celtics were beaten 113-97 at home by PHI not long ago.
Injuries to watch
Out: Khalifa Diop (CLE), Nae'Qwan Tomlin (CLE), Ernest Udeh, Jr. (CLE), and Devin Carter (BOS), expected back Nov 8, 2026.
The season series
In our records of recent meetings, the Celtics lead 5-2, with the Celtics outscoring the Cavaliers by an average of 4.6 points per game. The last meeting was BOS 109, CLE 98.