The Boston Celtics are not expected to have Kyrie Irving in the lineup Wednesday when they close out a five-game homestand against the Charlotte Hornets. Irving remains day-to-day with a hip strain that has seen him miss two of Boston’s past three contests ahead of Wednesday night’s Hornets vs. Celtics betting matchup at TD Garden.
The injury to Irving comes amid a solid stretch for the Celtics. Boston has posted straight-up wins in six of its past seven contests, including decisive victories over both Cleveland and Brooklyn while its star player has watched from the sidelines.
The Celtics marched to a crushing 123-103 victory over the Cavaliers last Wednesday as 15-point home chalk on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com, and Monday’s 112-104 win over the Nets extended their home record this season with Irving out of the lineup to 5-0 SU.
However, the Celtics have struggled to reward bettors of late, covering in just three of their past 10 overall contests, including a 1-4 against the spread run in their past five home dates.
Boston has failed to gain ground in the Eastern Conference standings during its current 6-1 SU run. The Celtics continue to sit alone in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, but have held steady on the NBA championship odds, trailing only the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors as a +950 wager.
The Hornets arrive in town Wednesday riding high after posting a 101-92 win over the New York Knicks as 12-point home favorites Monday night. With the win, Charlotte now has claimed SU and ATS victories in five of its past seven outings to climb into eighth place, and playoff contention, in the East.
Charlotte also has posted wins in two of its last four road dates, but the Hornets continue to own the worst SU road record of any team currently in the playoff picture, at 7-17, and also have struggled in recent dates with Boston.
The Celtics posted a 119-103 win over Charlotte as 7.5-point favorites when the Hornets visited Boston on Dec. 23, to improve to 12-2 SU in their past 14 meetings, and they are 5-0 SU and 4-0-1 ATS in their past five clashes at TD Garden.
