The Boston Celtics can equal an NBA betting record Friday night when they visit the surging Atlanta Hawks as 2 1/2-point underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Celtics have emerged as an offensive force during their current 11-3 straight-up run, cracking 110 points in 10 of those outings.
Boston also has seen the point total go over in 12 straight games ahead of Friday night?s Celtics vs. Hawks betting matchup at Philips Arena, leaving the club just one game short of the record of 13 consecutive over results set by the 1991 Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Celtics continued their recent offensive onslaught with a 117-108 win over the Washington Wizards as 5 1/2-point home chalk Wednesday, rebounding from a second-half collapse that resulted in a 114-106 loss as 5 1/2-point underdogs in Toronto the previous night.
That marked Boston?s second straight SU road loss. However, the Celtics remain among the best road teams in the league this season, posting a respectable 12-9 SU record and an NBA-best 14-6-1 ATS mark on the road.
But the Celtics remain a dismal 2-15 SU in their past 17 games as regular-season road underdogs, going 5-11-1 ATS in that stretch. Boston?s recent tear also has failed to lift the team’s NBA championship odds, which remain stalled at a middling +4000, well back of the +1800 odds it sported at the beginning of the campaign.
The Hawks have been equally hot over the past two weeks, notching seven straight SU wins to climb within 1 1/2 games of the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
While the Celtics have powered up the standings on the strength of an explosive offense, it has been stingy defense that has fueled Atlanta?s recent ascent. The Hawks held opponents to 98 or fewer points in six of their seven recent wins, and just 91.25 points per game over their past four, with each of those games finishing under the posted total.
Atlanta put an end to a dismal 1-6 SU run with three straight outright victories, and has dominated in recent regular-season visits by the Celtics, winning four straight while going 3-1 ATS.
The Celtics enjoy a weekend off before returning to action with visits from Charlotte and New York next week. Boston has taken six of seven from the Hornets including SU and ATS victories in two meetings earlier this season, and is 8-1 SU in its past nine meetings with the Knicks, including four straight victories at TD Garden, 3-1 ATS.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
