Celtics Odds: Game 1 Loss Vs. 76ers Causes Noticeable Shift In Futures

If you’re of the mindset the Boston Celtics will advance to the Eastern Conference finals despite their Game 1 clunker against the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden on Monday, well, now might be the best time to prove it.

After Boston’s 119-115 loss to Philadelphia, oddsmakers altered the Celtics’ futures odds rather noticeably. It’s now far more profitable to bet the Celtics to win their semifinal series against the Sixers, as well as to win the Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals, as pointed out by DraftKings Sportsbook content specialist Julian Edlow.

Prior to Game 1, the Celtics were as high as -500 to win the series against the 76ers, but they moved all the way to -180 after the loss. As of Tuesday evening, Boston was -190 on DraftKings and -196 on FanDuel Sportsbook to eliminate Doc Rivers’ team in the best-of-seven set. Now, obviously, the Celtics’ prices moved because they’re one game back and thus the series will be more difficult to win. However, there’s much more value as it currently stands, and it might not be around for long.

Should the Green tie up the series in Game 2 at TD Garden on Wednesday night, you can expect those prices to be much closer to what they were initially when Boston opened as a -310 favorite. If the C’s lose, well, it’s likely Philadelphia will become the favorite to advance.

In other DraftKings markets, Boston moved from -245 to -120 to win the Eastern Conference and +120 to 2-1 to win the championship. The Green remain on the top betting line for each, but Monday’s defeat nevertheless has caused some doubt to creep into the minds of oddsmakers and the betting public.

It’s rather baffling how Celtics players essentially admitted to not taking the 76ers seriously without Embiid. But now that they know what they’re up against, perhaps the Green make a concerted effort to send more of a message in Game 2.

Those believing in the C’s — and those betting on them — surely hope it will be the case.