The Boston Celtics will be aiming to end a three-game straight-up losing streak on the road when they travel to Milwaukee on Friday for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series with the Bucks as 6-point underdogs on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston has taken control of the series with outright wins on home court in Games 1 and 2, but has struggled at times during the current 0-3 SU run on the road that it takes into Friday night’s Celtics vs. Bucks betting matchup at Bradley Center.
The Celtics’ road slide began with a 106-102 loss in Milwaukee as 4.5-point underdogs on April 3, and deepened with a pair of lopsided SU, and against the spread defeats including a discouraging 96-78 loss to the rival Toronto Raptors as 7.5-point underdogs on April 4.
However, the club has rediscovered its offensive touch in the early going of the postseason, claiming victory in the first two games of the series by an average margin of 10 points, capped by Tuesday’s 120-106 win in Game 2 as slim 1-point home chalk.
The Celtics’ 2-0 series lead has given them a lift to -330 on the NBA playoff series prices after entering the postseason as narrow -170 favorites, but the team has yet to gain traction on the NBA championship odds, where they continue to sit well back of the favorites at a distant +4000.
The Bucks will be in desperation mode as they try to avoid falling behind 3-0 in the series. History is on not on the side of Milwaukee, which has fallen to defeat in seven straight first-round playoff appearances since 2001, and now trails as a +275 wager on the NBA series prices.
Comebacks from a 2-0 series deficit have been a rarity in the NBA playoffs, with trailing teams rebounding to win a series just 19 times in 292 opportunities throughout NBA history.
Milwaukee has played well on home hardwood in recent weeks, going 6-3 SU in nine overall, and 8-1 SU in its past nine while pegged as a home favorite by six or more points, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
However, the Bucks have struggled badly at the sportsbooks, compiling a dismal 5-17 ATS record in their past 22 home dates, and have surrendered 110 or more points in eight of 13, fueling a 9-4-0 run for the OVER in totals betting. To have any chance of advancing, the Bucks must also reverse a 4-10 SU run in 14 dates with Boston, during which they have failed to record consecutive outright wins.
