NBA Betting Odds: Celtics Pegged As Road Underdogs For Game 6 Vs. Cavs
The Boston Celtics can clinch a berth in the NBA Finals for the first time in eight years on Friday when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals as 7-point underdogs on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston rebounded from consecutive road losses in Games 3 and 4 by posting a solid 96-83 victory as 1.5-point home chalk on Wednesday night, and now takes a 3-2 series lead into Friday night’s Celtics vs. Cavaliers betting matchup at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Celtics’ Game 5 victory improves them to 10-0 straight up on home hardwood during the playoffs, but they have struggled on the road since the beginning of April, going 1-9 SU in their past 10 overall, including a 1-6 SU mark in seven road dates during the postseason.
Boston’s recent road defeats have typically come by wide margins, with four of its seven postseason losses coming by double digits, including a crushing 116-86 loss as a 6.5-point underdog in Game 3 that represents the Celtics’ worst playoff road loss since falling 124-77 to the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 1995 NBA postseason.
The Celtics have also tallied just one SU win in their last eight overall visits to Cleveland, according to the OddsShark NBA Database. But they also covered the spread in four of those contests, and maintain a solid edge on the NBA playoffs series prices as -184 favorites to eventually win this series.
The Cavaliers return home for Game 6 facing possible elimination for the second time during these playoffs.
Cleveland needed seven games to get past the Indiana Pacers in the first round, closing out that series with a narrow 105-101 victory as 5.5-point underdogs to improve the club’s record to 6-2 SU in its past eight when facing elimination.
The Cavaliers have been a solid bet on home court during these playoffs, going 7-1 SU and covering in each of their past three home dates, while claiming victory by an average margin of 24.66 points. Cleveland is also 15-2 SU in its past 17 games while favored by seven or more points, but is 5-12 against the spread during that stretch, and just 4-7 ATS in its past 11 dates with the Celtics.
Despite a solid recent track record when playing at Quicken Loans Arena the Cavaliers have faded to +164 underdogs on the series prices, and have also dipped to +1400 on the NBA championship odds, well back of the Celtics at +900.
