The Boston Celtics will be looking to rebound from their first loss of this year’s NBA playoffs when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday in Game 3 of their second-round clash as small 2-point favorites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
After recording a stunning 112-90 win in Milwaukee to open the series, Boston was brought back down to earth in a lopsided 123-102 loss on Tuesday that leaves the series tied at one game apiece going into Friday night’s Bucks vs. Celtics betting matchup at TD Garden.
A dismal third-quarter performance proved to be the difference in the Celtics’ Game 2 loss as 7.5-point underdogs. Boston was outscored by a wide 39-18 margin in the third frame, halting the momentum the team had gained by steadily outpacing the Bucks through the first six quarters of the series.
The loss also snapped the Celtics’ six-game straight-up win streak on the road, including a pair of character victories in Indiana during their first-round sweep of the Pacers. Boston remains a solid 11-3 SU in its past 14 overall, and has also covered the spread in eight of its past 10 outings.
In addition, the Celtics have taken six of seven from Milwaukee at TD Garden. However, the team dropped a 120-107 decision as 1.5-point underdogs in their last home date with the Bucks on December 21. Stealing home-court advantage with their Game 1 win also has done little to help their cause on the NBA series prices, where they enter Game 3 as lengthy +170 underdogs.
The Bucks make the trip to Boston aiming for a fifth straight SU win on the road. Milwaukee dominated while marching to a four-game sweep of Detroit in the first round, including a pair of crushing road victories over the Pistons by an average margin of 19.5 points per game.
Dominating performances have been nothing new for the Bucks, who have scored 120 or more points in 11 of their past 15 contests. That has powered a reliable 11-4 run for the OVER in totals betting.
The Bucks also have been a reliable wager at sports betting sites over the past two months, avoiding consecutive SU losses during a 17-7 SU run that started on March 7, and going 15-8-1 against the spread during that stretch, including a 6-3 SU and ATS mark on the road.
Milwaukee has been rewarded accordingly, with the team improving to a -200 favorite on the series prices, and sitting at +500 odds to win the NBA title, well ahead of the Celtics at +1400.
