NBA Odds: Celtics Underdogs Against Defending Champion Warriors

The Boston Celtics will be looking for a third straight victory over the Golden State Warriors when they continue their current four-game Western Conference road trip with a Saturday night date against the defending NBA champions.

Boston is coming off a decisive 113-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers as a 3-point road underdog on Wednesday to end a four-game straight-up slide and improve to 8-5 straight up in its last 13 road contests ahead of Saturday’s Celtics vs. Warriors betting matchup at Oracle Arena.

The Celtics continue to lead the way atop the NBA Eastern Conference despite their recent swoon. The team, though, has produced middling results since early December at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com, going 9-14-1 against the spread over its past 24 outings. The Celtics also have failed to cover in consecutive road games since November 20, going 6-7 ATS over that stretch, while surrendering over 100 points on seven occasions.

Those numbers have contributed to Boston’s continued lagging position on the NBA championship odds, where they sit behind both Golden State and Cleveland at +800.

The Celtics have produced stingy performances in their two recent victories over Golden State, topping the Warriors 92-88 as 7-point home underdogs in a November 16 matchup at TD Garden, and posting a 99-86 win as 7.5-point underdogs in March 2017, marking their second win in as many visits to the Bay Area.

However, Boston will be hard pressed to record another defensive gem against a Warriors squad that regularly has run up the score this season. Golden State is coming off a 123-112 win over the New York Knicks as 16-point home chalk on Tuesday, and had cracked 120 points in four of six home dates prior to its Thursday matchup against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Warriors also have dominated in clashes with Eastern Conference opponents this season, going 18-3 SU. That has given Golden State the edge in its dogfight with the surging Houston Rockets for control of first place in the Western Conference, and has helped the Warriors climb to clear -190 favorites to claim their third NBA title in four years.

Following Saturday night’s contest, the Celtics close out their western swing against the Denver Nuggets on Monday before opening a homestand against the Knicks on Wednesday. The Celtics recorded a 124-118 win over the Nuggets as 6-point home favorites on December 13, but were blown out 119-99 as 2.5-point underdogs in their last visit to the Mile High City in March 2017.