NBA Playoff Odds: Celtics Slim Road Favorites Ahead Of Game 6 Vs. Bulls
The Boston Celtics can advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs with a win Friday when they visit the Chicago Bulls in a Game 6 clash as a 1.5-point favorite on the NBA betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston?s 108-97 win as 7.5-point home chalk in Game 5 marked the first home victory for either team in this series, and also lifted the Celtics to a 3-2 series lead going into Friday night?s C’s vs. Bulls betting matchup at United Center.
The Celtics have won three straight on the road, both straight up and against the spread, ending a 10-11 SU run in games away from TD Garden that began last December. Boston?s turnaround also has resurrected its odds on the NBA series prices, which had tumbled to a distant +195 following its Game 2 loss, but the C’s now are listed at -1000.
The Celtics have been dominant in their three wins during the series, claiming victory by an average margin of 12.3 points per game and covering as betting favorites in each contest.
But Boston has enjoyed little success in recent Game 6 matchups, going winless SU in its past four, including two losses while holding the series lead, and is just 7-11 SU in its past 18 games when poised to claim an NBA playoff series win.
The Bulls return home looking to rediscover the magic that powered them to 12 SU wins in 14 visits from the Celtics prior to the start of this series, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
However, the Bulls have been limited to just 93 points per game in their three losses during the series, and they failed to crack 100 points in three consecutive games for the first time since a brutal five-game SU and ATS slide in early March threatened to extinguish their playoff hopes.
Game 6 also has been historically unkind to the Bulls, who are 3-6 SU in their past nine overall. Chicago also is 1-3 SU in its past four Game 6 contests at United Center, with the sole victory during that stretch coming against Boston in 2009, a 128-127 triple-overtime win in a first-round matchup that the Celtics eventually took in seven games.
If necessary, Game 7 of this series is scheduled for Sunday at TD Garden. Boston is 10-3 SU in its past 13 Game 7 matchups on home court, while Chicago is 1-6 SU in seven all-time Game 7 clashes on the road.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
