NBA Betting Odds: Celtics Pegged As Underdogs In Matchup Vs. Bucks

The Boston Celtics will be gunning for a third straight victory on Thursday when they travel to Milwaukee to battle the Bucks as 3.5-point underdogs on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Boston hits the road for a pair of games after handing the New York Knicks a 110-89 loss as 7-point home chalk on Tuesday to even their straight-up record at 2-2 going into Thursday night’s Celtics vs. Bucks betting matchup at Bradley Center.

The victory over New York comes on the heels of a solid 102-92 win at Philadelphia as 3-point underdogs. With consecutive wins under their belt, the Celtics have allayed concerns raised following the team’s worrisome 0-2 start, including a 102-99 opening night loss at Cleveland as 4.5-point underdogs in which Gordon Hayward suffered a gruesome ankle injury that has sidelined him indefinitely.

Hayward arrived in Boston amid high expectations after inking a four-year, $128 million deal with the Celtics during the offseason. The 27-year-old tallied a career-best 21.9 points per game and drained 149 three-pointers as a member of the Utah Jazz last season, and his signing was one of a number of reasons why Boston opened the campaign as a solid +800 bet on the NBA championship odds.

The Celtics still were reeling when they hosted Milwaukee the night following Hayward’s injury, falling to the Bucks 108-100 as 1.5-point home chalk. However, a pair of Celtics youngsters have seized on the opportunity created by Hayward’s injury.

Selected third overall by Boston in the 2017 NBA Draft, rookie Jayson Tatum has put the skills on display that made him a +1000 bet to win NBA rookie of the year honors on opening night, racking up 14.8 points per game including a 22-point performance against New York on Tuesday. Second-year forward Jaylen Brown has also impressed, compiling 18.8 points per game through the first four games of the campaign after averaging 6.6 points per game last season.

The Bucks also ride a two-game straight-up win streak going into the final date on their current four-game homestand. Milwaukee improved to 3-1 with a 103-94 win over Charlotte as 6.5-point chalk Monday, and has carried over the strong play on home court that made the difference in their push for a playoff spot last spring, going 10-3 SU in its past 13 regular-season home dates.

Milwaukee has also taken two of three from the Celtics, both as a betting underdog, but is just 2-4 SU and 1-5 against the spread in its last six home meetings with Boston according to the OddsShark NBA Database.

Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images