NBA Odds: Celtics Pegged As Road Underdogs Vs. Raptors On Tuesday
The Boston Celtics will be looking to avoid getting swept in their current three-game road trip Tuesday when they take on the Raptors in Toronto as 4.5-point underdogs on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston travels north of the border after being outclassed in a 126-116 loss to Chicago on Saturday, and now has fallen to defeat in four of six outings ahead of Tuesday night’s Celtics vs. Raptors betting matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
The Celtics’ recent swoon has been a setback for the team in the Eastern Conference standings. Following their loss to the Bulls as heavy 10-point chalk, the Celtics now sit alone in fifth place in the conference, lagging 6 1/2 games back of second-place Toronto. However, Boston has managed to maintain the confidence of the sportsbooks, where it continues to trail only Toronto and the first-place Milwaukee Bucks as a +230 wager to ultimately emerge as Eastern Conference champions.
But while Boston has proven to be a resilient bet on the NBA futures, the team continues to face a real battle with consistency when playing away from TD Garden. The Celtics have been streaky performers on the road since opening this season’s away schedule with a 113-101 loss in Toronto as 3-point underdogs Oct. 19.
While Boston has enjoyed three road win streaks of three or more games, it has followed up that success with extended slides on the road. The Celtics endured a 2-6 SU run on the road in November, and also lost six of seven SU on the road prior to the four-game win streak that preceded their current trip.
And while the Celtics have picked up consecutive SU and against the spread wins over the Raptors, both in Boston, they have miserably suffered when visiting Toronto, going 2-13 SU over their past 15 including a current 0-7 SU and ATS slide, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
The Raptors are coming off a disappointing 113-98 loss to the visiting Orlando Magic on Sunday, which put the brakes on a seven-game SU win streak. Toronto managed to keep pace with the conference-leading Bucks during their recent surge, and currently sits a close second to Milwaukee on the Eastern Conference championship odds as a +180 wager.
Toronto has been a massive betting disappointment of late, though, failing to cover in five straight contests, all while favored by seven or more points. The Raptors also are 13-18 ATS in 31 home dates this season, but have suffered consecutive SU losses on home hardwood just once while compiling an enviable 25-6 SU record.
