NBA Odds: Celtics Are Betting Favorites To Beat Heat, Extend Win Streak
The Boston Celtics will be looking for a third straight victory when they return home on Wednesday night to battle the Miami Heat as 8-point favorites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston jumped out to an early 19-point lead in Indiana on Monday, but needed to hold off a fierce second-half rally to hang on for a 112-111 win over the Pacers as 2.5-point chalk, marking the first time the club has tallied consecutive outright victories in seven outings ahead of Wednesday night’s Heat vs. Celtics betting matchup at TD Garden.
The Celtics opened their brief two-game road trip on Saturday with a 102-93 win in Memphis as 5.5-point favorites. But since kicking off the NBA campaign on an impressive 17-3-1 against the spread run, Boston has seen its performance dip in the sportsbooks, going 4-7-1 ATS over its past 12 contests.
The club has been a particularly disappointing wager on home court, failing to cover in each of its past three and going 2-4-1 ATS in its past seven, including a pair of ATS losses in its past two home outings while favored by seven or more points.
The Heat arrive in Boston for their third date of the season with the Celtics after falling 110-104 to the Atlanta Hawks as two-point road underdogs on Monday, putting the brakes on a two-game SU win streak. Miami also has battled inconsistency this season, winning two in a row on just one occasion while compiling a 15-15 SU record.
Miami has enjoyed considerable success in recent meetings with the Celtics, claiming victory in eight of 12 visits to TD Garden, but saw an 8-0 SU run overall against Boston end with a 104-98 loss as 1.5-point underdogs on Nov. 22.
Following Wednesday’s contest, the Celtics will immediately hit the road for New York, where they will battle the Knicks on Thursday night, before returning home to take on the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, and the Washington Wizards on Christmas Day.
The Celtics dominated in a 110-89 victory over the Knicks as 7-point home chalk in the first week of the season, and have taken home the win in 10 of 12 meetings with New York, including a 5-1 SU mark in six matchups at Madison Square Garden according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
The Bulls have reversed a dismal 3-20 SU start with their longest SU win streak since October 2016, posting SU victories in six straight, including a 108-85 upset of Boston as 5.5-point home underdogs on December 11 to end a four-game SU and ATS slide against the Celtics.
