The Boston Celtics will be looking to build on the momentum gained from a 113-107 overtime victory in Saturday’s series-opening playoff clash with the Milwaukee Bucks when they hit the court for Game 2 on Tuesday as slim 2.5-point home favorites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Celtics survived a seesaw battle in Saturday’s win as four-point home chalk, which featured 12 lead changes and saw them overcome a four-point halftime deficit to record consecutive straight-up wins for the first time in seven outings going into Tuesday night’s Bucks vs. Celtics betting matchup at TD Garden.
Boston looked poised to run away with Game 1 after amassing an early 12-point lead, but the C’s struggled at times to contain the Bucks, who stormed back with 30 second-quarter points and also erased a nine-point Celtics lead late in the fourth quarter to force extra time.
The series-opening win represents a big character builder for the Celtics, who entered the postseason amid reduced expectations following news that guard Kyrie Irving would be lost for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to address a nagging knee injury.
The loss of their superstar, combined with an uninspired 1-4 SU run to close out the regular season, had a direct impact on the Celtics’ NBA championship odds, which sank to +7000 prior to the start of the postseason. Saturday’s victory subsequently failed to buoy the club’s futures odds, which have slipped further to +7500.
Boston, though, has seen its position on the NBA series prices improve to -205 after opening as a -160 favorite, and it is enjoying its strongest run on home court since early January, going 5-1 SU over its past six, and covering in six of seven. But the Celtics also own a streaky 4-3 SU record in their past seven against the Bucks, and are winless SU in five straight home dates with Milwaukee when pegged as favorites of three or fewer points.
While the Celtics attempt to silence the naysayers, the Bucks enter Tuesday’s contest looking to avoid a fifth consecutive SU and ATS loss in playoff action. Milwaukee has compiled a dismal 12-29 SU postseason record since claiming its last playoff series win in 2001, including a 5-18 SU mark on the road.
Despite their brutal playoff history the Bucks remain listed as a +175 bet on the NBA series prices as they prepare to hit the court at the narrowest road underdog odds in postseason action for them since defeating Philadelphia 92-78 as 2.5-point underdogs in Game 2 of the 2001 Eastern Conference finals.
