The Boston Celtics will continue the search for their first win on their current five-game road trip when they travel to Phoenix on Thursday to battle the Suns as 8.5-point betting favorites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston has come up short in the first two outings of its current western swing, capped by a 115-107 loss in Denver on Monday that dropped the club to 3-3 in six away contests going into Thursday night’s Celtics vs. Suns betting matchup at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
The team’s loss to the Nuggets as 1.5-point underdogs also extends a worrisome trend at the sportsbooks, where the Celtics have covered in consecutive outings just once this season while compiling a 4-6 record against the spread.
Despite the uneven start, Boston continues to sit second only to the Golden State Warriors on the NBA championship odds, but has slipped to +700 since opening the campaign as a +500 wager.
The Celtics also have been a steady wager when traveling to face Western Conference opponents. Monday’s loss in Denver put the brakes on a five-game straight-up win streak in contests out west. Boston also has regularly covered on the road against Western Conference teams, going 9-3 ATS in its past 12 such outings.
The C’s also have dominated in recent dates with the Suns, claiming outright wins in six of their past seven meetings, capped by a 102-94 win in their most recent trip to the desert in March. However, the Celtics failed to cover in that matchup while pegged as 10-point chalk, extending their ATS losing streak against the Suns to five games.
The Suns are coming off a crushing 104-82 loss to the visiting Brooklyn Nets as 2.5-point underdogs on Tuesday, which dumps them to 2-8 SU on the season, and into last place in the Western Conference standings.
Phoenix had covered in three of its previous four contests, including Sunday’s narrow 102-100 win over the Memphis Grizzlies as a 4-point home underdog. However, the Suns remain a weak bet when pegged as big home underdogs, going 1-10 SU and 4-7 ATS in their past 11 when set as underdogs of eight or more points, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
Following Thursday’s date in Phoenix, the Celtics move on to Utah for a Friday night clash with the slumping Jazz before closing out their road trip with a visit to Portland on Sunday. The Celtics have won five of seven in Utah, both SU and ATS, and have taken three of four road dates from the Trail Blazers while going 13-4 ATS over their past 17.
