The Boston Celtics will be gunning for a third straight home victory over Chicago when they host the Bulls on Wednesday night as 4-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston returns home after capping a brief two-game road trip with a 104-98 win in Charlotte as 2.5-point chalk, lifting its straight-up record to 2-1 ahead of Wednesday night’s Bulls vs. Celtics betting matchup at TD Garden.
The Celtics are viewed as a team on the rise this season, which they kicked off trailing only the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers with +500 odds to win the Eastern Conference.
Boston began its campaign on a high-scoring note, posting a 122-117 win over the Brooklyn Nets in last week’s home opener, but failed to cover as heavy 11.5-point chalk.
The Celtics had a tougher time in last Thursday’s visit to Chicago, where a valiant comeback effort fell short in a 105-99 loss as 1-point underdogs. Boston trailed by 14 in the fourth quarter of the Bulls’ home opener before drawing within two points late in the game. But the night was all about Dwyane Wade, who had 22 points in his Bulls debut at United Center.
The Bulls followed up their victory over Boston with blowout wins over Indiana and Brooklyn, and they ride a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS record into Wednesday’s contest.
Chicago topped the Pacers 118-101 as 3.5-point chalk on Saturday and was impressive in a 118-88 demolition of the Nets on Halloween night, easily covering a 6.5-point spread.
Chicago’s fast start has had an immediate impact on its odds of winning its first Eastern Conference crown since 2010, lifting the club to +1400 after being pegged at +2500 in the preseason.
The Bulls have posted losses in their past two visits to Boston, including a 110-101 defeat as 3.5-point underdogs back in January. However, Chicago otherwise has dominated the Celtics, going 8-3 SU and 6-4-1 ATS in the teams’ last 11 head-to-head matchups.
Following their date with the Bulls, the Celtics travel to Cleveland to battle the Cavaliers on Thursday night before returning home to face the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
Boston has lost six of its last seven to the Cavaliers but covered in four of those meetings, including a 104-103 upset win in Cleveland last February. The Celtics have won four straight against Denver, posting ATS wins on three occasions, and are undefeated SU in their past six at home against the Nuggets, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
Thumbnail photo via Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports Images
