A share of second place in the Eastern Conference will be on the line Tuesday night as the Boston Celtics travel to Toronto for a date with the rival Raptors as 4.5-point underdogs on the NBA lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston has caught fire since mid-December, posting straight-up wins in 10 of 12 outings to pull within one game of second-place Toronto ahead of Tuesday night’s Celtics vs. Raptors betting matchup at Air Canada Centre.
The Celtics’ current hot streak marks a turnaround for the team, which posted consecutive SU wins just once in its previous 10 contests while struggling to maintain a record above .500.
Boston’s climb into contention in the Eastern Conference largely has been powered by an offensive outburst that has produced an average of 114.2 points per game over its past 10 games, forcing the point total OVER in each of those contests at the sportsbooks.
But despite the Celtics’ recent strong performances, they remain stalled on the odds to win the NBA championship at +4000, well back of the Raptors, who sit at +2500, and far short of the +1800 odds they sported on opening night.
The Celtics also continue to regularly surrender a large number of points, with opponents cracking the century mark in each of their past 10 games and averaging a whopping 112.25 points per game over their past four road contests.
However, Boston remains the strongest road bet in the NBA this season, going 14-5-1 against the spread while posting just two ATS losses in its past seven games as a road underdog.
The holiday season was unkind to Toronto, which has put up just two SU wins over its past seven games, and is a dismal 4-8 ATS in its past 12 contests. The Raptors’ recent slide comes on the heels of a red-hot 14-2 SU stretch that lifted the club into a neck-and-neck battle with the Cleveland Cavaliers for top spot in the East.
However, the Raptors have enjoyed recent success against Boston, going 6-1 SU in their past seven home clashes with the Celtics, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
The Celtics return home Wednesday to face Washington, before traveling to Atlanta to battle the surging Hawks on Friday.
Boston dropped a 118-93 decision in Washington as a 1-point underdog in early November, halting a four-game SU win streak against the Wizards. As well, the Celtics are winless SU in seven consecutive road meetings with the Hawks, who take a six-game win streak into a road date with the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday as 7-point chalk.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
