NBA Betting Tips: Celtics will take some stopping

The NBA play-offs are well and truly underway, and there's more action to enjoy tonight.

My NBA betting tips for Tuesday focus upon game one of the Eastern Conference semi-final match-up between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, as well as the series opener between the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Boston Celtics -11.5 vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 10/11

Boston advanced to the second round of the play-offs by defeating the Miami Heat, while the Cavaliers were pushed to seven games against Orlando, with a 106-94 victory on Sunday securing their place in the next round.

I've mentioned in previous columns, as well as in our season preview, that the Celtics look the best bet for the title, and they've proven me right so far in the postseason. The C's have been incredible on both ends of the floor, and are certainly the superior team in this series. The only way I see Cleveland having any joy, is if Boston suffer injuries or have an off night performance-wise as they did in game two against Miami.

The Celtics have been excellent at home all season, and I expect that to continue here, especially since they'll be well-rested in comparison to the Cavaliers, who will no doubt be feeling all sorts of aches and pains after a seven-game series with the Magic.

Kristaps Porzingis is likely to miss the entire second round with a calf injury that he sustained in the series against Miami, but the Celtics shouldn't miss him too much as they are a much better rebounding team even without the presence of the Latvian.

I'm taking Boston to make a statement in game one, and cover the spread comfortably here.

Oklahoma City Thunder -3.5 vs Dallas Mavericks @ 10/11

This series offers some serious star power on both sides with OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enjoying an MVP-calibre campaign, and the Dallas Mavericks have arguably the best backcourt in the NBA in the form of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

The Thunder swept the New Orleans Pelicans in their first-round match-up, while Dallas prevailed 4-2 in a tough battle with the Los Angeles Clippers, and honestly I could see this series going either way.

Home advantage will be crucial, which is why I'm siding with the Thunder in game one, as they've been one of the best teams on their own floor this term, going 33-8 at home in the regular season. OKC took the regular-season series against the Mavs 3-1, and the Thunder have defeated Dallas in five of the last seven meetings between the teams over the past two seasons.

Oklahoma City boast one of the youngest and deepest rosters in the NBA, and while Doncic can lean on Irving as a lethal co-star for the Mavericks, the Thunder possess elite defenders and rim protectors, as well as one of the league's up-and-coming stars in Jalen Williams.

OKC have covered the spread in eight of the last 10 meetings with Dallas, and I'm taking them to do so again on Tuesday night, live on TNT Sports 2.

Check out the rest of our NBA Betting Tips here.