The Boston Celtics will need to halt a three-game losing streak at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers to avoid elimination from the NBA playoffs when they take on the defending champions Thursday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals as heavy 10-point home underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston dropped a 112-99 decision as a 15 1/2-point road underdog in Game 4, and now faces the daunting task of overcoming a 3-1 series deficit going into Thursday night?s Cavaliers vs. Celtics betting matchup at TD Garden.
In addition to three straight home losses to Cleveland, including a pair of blowout defeats in the opening two games of this series, the Celtics are just 2-7 straight-up in their past nine home dates with the Cavaliers, failing to cover in four of their past five.
That has fueled a dismal 5-14 SU run in their past 19 overall against Cleveland since the C’s last recorded three straight outright wins over the Cavaliers during the 2013-14 campaign.
Despite their recent struggles against Cleveland, the Celtics have been among the NBA?s best home teams since the calendar turned to 2017, going 28-10 SU in 38 games since New Year?s Day. However, the club has turned in uneven results at the sportsbooks, alternating between lengthy winning and losing streaks against the spread, including a 1-8 ATS slide that carried over into this year?s playoffs.
Thursday night?s contest marks just the sixth time this season Boston has been pegged as a home underdog, and the first time it has been listed as a double-digit home underdog since March 1997.
The Celtics have fared poorly while sporting positive odds on home hardwood, going 1-4 SU and ATS this season, and 3-12 SU in their past 15, while covering just twice in their past 10. But the club has covered in each of its past five overall as an underdog of 10 or more points, a streak that includes four straight ATS wins over Cleveland.
The Cavaliers travel to Boston on the verge of a third straight appearance in the NBA Finals. Cleveland has been dominant in the postseason, winning SU in 14 of 15 dating back to last spring, and scoring 110 or more points in 10 of those contests.
Cleveland has received the nod as betting chalk in each of its 12 postseason outings this spring but has been a disappointment to bettors when favored by more than 10 points, going 6-7 ATS in its past 13 playoff games, and 6-9 ATS in its past 15 overall, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
