NBA Odds: Celtics Look To Rebound As Home Underdogs Vs. Cavaliers
The Boston Celtics will look for their first straight-up win in four home dates with Cleveland when they host the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers on Wednesday night as slim one-point underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston is coming off a lopsided 114-98 loss to the Atlanta Hawks as four-point home chalk Monday to fall to 1-3 SU in its past four games, but remains just four games back of first-place Cleveland going into Wednesday night?s Cavaliers vs. Celtics betting matchup at TD Garden.
The Celtics? swoon comes on the heels of an 11-1 SU run that moved them into sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference and boosted their NBA championship odds to +1600, trailing only the Golden State Warriors, Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs.
However, Boston has been a consistently unreliable bet at the sportsbooks in recent weeks, covering just once in its past five games, fueling a 7-12 against-the-spread run that includes six straight ATS losses on its home court.
The Celtics also are 1-8 SU over their past eight games against Cleveland, including the Cavaliers? four-game sweep of Boston in the first round of the 2015 playoffs.
But Boston has enjoyed success at the sportsbooks during that head-to-head stretch, going 5-3-1 ATS, and also is 4-1 ATS in the Cavaliers? past five visits to TD Garden, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
The Cavaliers open a three-game road trip in Wednesday?s clash with the Celtics, marking the start of a crucial stretch that will see them play 12 of their next 16 games away from Quicken Loans Arena.
Cleveland owns a respectable 15-11 SU road record this season but has struggled with consistency at times, going 4-1 SU and ATS in its past five road dates after going 5-7 SU and 3-9 ATS in its previous 12.
The defending champions also closed out their recent four-game homestand on a shaky note, failing to cover as 9 1/2-point chalk in Monday?s 102-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. As well, the Cavaliers suffered a 117-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls as six-point favorites at online betting sites two nights earlier.
However, the Cavaliers are unbeaten SU in 16 straight meetings with Atlantic Division teams, claiming victory by an average margin of 13.7 points over their past seven wins.
Following Wednesday?s contest, the Celtics hit the road for a five-game western swing starting with a Friday night date with the Los Angeles Lakers. Boston earned a 113-107 win over the Lakers as 11-point home chalk on Feb. 3 but is 1-4 SU in its last five road contests against Los Angeles.
Thumbnail photo via Tim Fuller/USA TODAY Sports Images
