The Boston Celtics will be aiming to take a 2-0 series lead when they continue their first-round NBA playoff series with the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday as 7.5-point home favorites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston rebounded from a seven-point halftime deficit to collect an 84-74 win over Indiana in Game 1 of the seires, but has struggled on home court during the second half of the season, going 7-7 straight up in 14 home dates ahead of Wednesday night’s Pacers vs. Celtics betting matchup at TD Garden.
While the Celtics have recorded middling results on their home floor, they still managed to finish the regular season on a strong note, posting SU wins in seven of their past nine contests. That run now features three straight victories over the Pacers, extending the club’s overall SU win streak against Indiana to four games including three wins by double-digit margins.
The Celtics’ regular season success against Indiana is a key factor on their lofty position on the NBA series prices, where they are now perched as heavy -850 favorites, well ahead of the -500 odds they sported prior to the start of the series.
Boston’s series-opening win has also helped the club close the gap on the favorites on the NBA futures. The Celtics are now a +350 wager to win the Eastern Conference, just back of the second favorite Toronto Raptors at +300 while the Milwaukee Bucks lead the way at +120.
The team has also made slight gains on the NBA championship odds, improving to +1500, just ahead of the +1600 odds they sported a week ago.
Conversely, the Pacers return to action on Wednesday looking for answers after falling to SU defeat in three of their past four games, and 10 of 14 overall.
Indiana’s late-season swoon brought the team’s momentum to a grinding halt. The Pacers had emerged as challengers to Toronto and Milwaukee in the race for the top of the standings during a 27-10 run that started in early December. However, the team’s gains have been undone by a dismal 2-11 SU run on the road, during which they have failed to reach 100 points on six occasions while seeing the UNDER go 9-4 at online betting sites.
The Pacers’ shaky performance has devastated their position on the NBA playoff odds. In addition to lagging as +525 underdogs on the NBA series prices, Indiana sits among the longshots on the NBA futures, leading only Detroit with +5000 odds to win the East, and at +10000 on the NBA championship odds.
