Celtics Odds: Home Cooking Looks Good For Boston As Home Stand Begins
The Boston Celtics will be gunning for a ninth consecutive straight-up win on home court when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday as 8.5-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston returns home for Thursday night’s Bucks vs. Celtics betting matchup at TD Garden after finishing a difficult three-game road trip with just one win, both straight up and against the spread, but maintains a slender grasp on third place in the Eastern Conference standings, a half game up on the Miami Heat.
The Celtics returned from the All-Star Break with three road games in four nights, suffering a 111-93 beating in Utah as 1-point underdogs before routing the Nuggets 121-101 in Denver and rounding out the trip with a 124-122 loss in Minnesota.
While the club is just 2-3 ATS in its past five, it has been a strong bet on its home floor, covering in seven of its past eight despite struggling to contain opposing offenses, who have tallied an average of 110.7 points per game over the Celtics’ past 10, forcing the point total OVER in seven of those contests.
A porous defense has not held back Boston at the sportsbooks, however, where the club has vaulted to a competitive 40-1 on the NBA championship odds after opening the season at 100-1, and trailing at a distant 75-1 as recently as the first week of February.
The Bucks arrive in Boston riding a two-game SU win streak following a 108-101 home victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, but have struggled badly on the road this year, posting a dismal 8-24 SU record, including just one SU victory in their past seven.
However, Milwaukee has enjoyed a reasonably successful run at the sportsbooks, covering the spread in its past two, and posting a 10-8 ATS record over its past 18.
Thursday night’s clash marks the third meeting of the season between these two clubs, with the teams splitting a pair of games in Milwaukee, including a narrow 112-111 Bucks victory as 4-point underdogs earlier this month.
Milwaukee has also come out on top in four of its last five visits to Boston, covering the spread in each of those victories, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
Following Thursday night’s date with the Bucks, the Celtics await a visit from the Heat on Saturday, followed by a return engagement with the Jazz on Monday.
Boston picked up a 105-95 win over Miami in late November but has not claimed consecutive wins over the Heat since the 2012 NBA playoffs, and is undefeated in its past seven at home against Utah.
Thumbnail photo via Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports Images
