The Boston Celtics are struggling three weeks into the season, having dropped three in a row after a two-game winning streak. They’re now 3-6 straight up on the season and 4-5 against the spread, but they have a great opportunity to snap their losing streak Wednesday night.
The Celtics travel to face the awful Philadelphia 76ers and are road favorites for the first time this season. Boston opened as a 4-point favorite, but the line has climbed as high as six points at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. This is the first time Boston has been a road favorite since facing Philadelphia last April.
As bad as the Sixers have been since last season, they are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games against the spread. The Celtics are 2-1 ATS in their three road games this season.
The Celtics will be without rookie guard Marcus Smart for potentially another week or two because of a sprained ankle and bone bruise.
Four of the NBA’s top teams also square off Wednesday night, as Toronto hosts Memphis and Washington hosts Dallas in inter-conference matchups. The Raptors are 2.5-point favorites over the Grizzlies on Wednesday’s NBA betting lines. Toronto is 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS, while Memphis is 10-1 SU but just 5-6 ATS. The Grizzlies are 1-5 ATS in their last six, while the Raptors are 5-2 ATS in their last seven.
Dallas is a slim road favorite against Washington, with lines sitting at two points and the point total at 200.5. The Mavericks are 8-3 SU and 7-3-1 ATS, while the Wizards are 7-2 SU but just 4-5 ATS. Dallas has won five in a row in Washington, and the total has gone UNDER in seven of the last eight meetings between these two in Washington.
Preseason title favorites square off as Cleveland hosts San Antonio. The Cavaliers are 2.5-point favorites over the Spurs, and both teams are coming in playing fairly well against the spread. Both have covered four of their last five games.
Chicago is off to a solid start at 8-3 SU but has a tough road swing this week, with two of the more notable games in the coming days. The Bulls travel to Sacramento on Thursday, then Portland on Friday. The Bulls have been sizable favorites in a few games and are 5-6 ATS. The Kings are 7-2-1 ATS this season, while the Trail Blazers are 8-3 ATS.
Houston is back home this week, getting five consecutive home games, including a big one against Dallas on Saturday. The Rockets are 9-2 but just 6-5 ATS. Houston is 3-2-1 ATS and 3-3 SU in its last six against Dallas, according to the OddsShark NBA Database. Prior to that, the Rockets lost eight of nine against the spread and nine in a row straight up to the Mavericks.
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