The Boston Celtics will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing three-game road trip when they return home to face the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night as 6.5-point favorites on the NBA Odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston dropped two of three games on its recent trip, capped by a 108-85 defeat to the Chicago Bulls as 5 1/2-point chalk on Monday that marked its worst loss of the season going into Wednesday’s Nuggets vs. Celtics betting matchup at TD Garden.
The Celtics have compiled a 7-4 straight-up record since seeing an epic early-season win streak halted at 16 games, and maintain a 2 1/2-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers atop the NBA Eastern Conference standings. However, the club has been a betting disappointment during that stretch, going 5-6 against the spread and covering just twice in its past five home dates.
The team’s defense played a key role in its recent 16-game SU surge, holding opponents to just 93.6 points per game overall, and to fewer than 90 points on six occasions, but has surrendered 111 or more points twice in its past five home dates.
Those big point totals have failed to produce consistent results in totals betting, where the UNDER has prevailed in four of seven contests, ending a generous 6-0-0 run for the OVER, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
That could change in Wednesday’s clash against the Nuggets, who have run up the score in two straight SU and ATS wins over Boston. Denver took home a 123-107 win as a 7-point underdog at TD Garden in November 2016, and has cracked the century mark in seven of eight meetings with Boston.
The Nuggets have also surrendered big point totals while going 2-3 SU on their current six-game road trip, allowing 122 or more points in each of their three defeats. Denver played stifling defense while recording a 103-84 win in Detroit as 6.5-point underdogs on Tuesday, but has escaped with consecutive wins just once while going 5-10 SU on the road this season.
Following their clash with the Nuggets, the Celtics play host to the Utah Jazz on Friday night before hitting the road for meetings with Memphis and Indiana.
The Celtics have won and covered in three straight matchups with the 8-19 Grizzlies, who have emerged as one of the biggest disappointments of the current campaign after winning 43 games last season.
Boston has been equally dominant during a 4-0 SU and ATS run against the Pacers, but Indiana takes a five-game SU win streak on home court into a Wednesday night date with Oklahoma City as a 1.5-point home favorite.
