The Boston Celtics (17-5) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (13-11) play in an Eastern Conference tilt on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. For this game, SportsLine consensus lists the Celtics as the 9-point favorite, while the over/under is 225 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our NBA odds page). 

Before you make any Cavaliers vs. Celtics or NBA picks, you NEED to see what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 8 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 97-51 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning more than $4,000. Anyone following it has seen HUGE returns!

The model has considered that Boston forward Jayson Tatum is an athletic three-level scorer. Tatum generates space to shoot right over defenders and is a secure rebounder. The four-time All-Star is ninth in the NBA in scoring (27.4) with 8.8 rebounds per game. In Tuesday's win over Cleveland, Tatum racked up 25 points and 10 boards.

The model also knows Cleveland guard Donavan Mitchell thrives as the main shot creator. Mitchell glides to the rack with ease and owns a reliable jumper on the outside. The four-time All-Star ranks eighth in the league in points (27.4) with 5.1 assists per contest. On Dec. 8 versus the Heat, Mitchell notched 27 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.

The model has simulated Cavaliers vs. Celtics 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations!

Who wins Cavaliers vs. Celtics, and which side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out who you should be all over on Thursday, all from the model on an 97-51 roll on top-rated NBA picks!