Celtics Playoff Round 1 Odds: Boston Slim Underdog In Series Vs. Hawks

The Boston Celtics are used to having the odds stacked against them, and their first-round playoff series will be no different.

The Celtics, entering the NBA playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 5 seed, are pegged as slim underdogs against the No. 4 seed Atlanta Hawks at +135 moneyline odds, according to Bovada. The Hawks are favored with -155 moneyline odds.

Celtics-Hawks, which begins Saturday night with Game 1 at Philips Arena, should be a very competitive series. Atlanta beat Boston in three of the teams’ four meetings this season, but both teams are well-coached and play with a tenacious energy that could lend itself to some physical play.

In any case, Vegas believes this will be one of the most competitive matchups of the first round. Only the Miami Heat-Charlotte Hornets series has slimmer odds of the eight opening-round series, as the Heat are -150 favorites.

Here’s a more in-depth breakdown of the Celtics’ odds vs. the Hawks, courtesy of Bovada:

Exact Series Result
Celtics win 4-0: 12-1
Celtics win 4-1: 9-1
Celtics win 4-2: 4-1
Celtics win 4-3: 13-2
Hawks win 4-0: 19-2
Hawks win 4-1: 4-1
Hawks win 4-2: 11-2
Hawks win 4-3: 3-1

Total Games in Series
4: 13-2
5: 5-2
6: 2-1
7: 9-5

Click for NESN.com’s Celtics-Hawks playoff preview >>

Thumbnail photo via Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports Images