Troubling Trend Continues In Celtics’ Game 5 Loss Vs. 76ers
Boston is a two-point road favorite in Game 6
The Boston Celtics have lost more games as a betting favorite this season than any other team in the NBA.
The most recent example came Tuesday night as the Green were defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden despite entering the pivotal Game 5 as a 7-point home favorite. The Sixers took as large as a 21-point lead in the second half and claimed a 115-103 victory, a final verdict not fully indicative of the beatdown in Boston.
It marked the 25th loss of the season when the Celtics entered the game as the betting favorite, according to Action Network's Evan Abrams. The Celtics now are 39-19 straight up when they're favored by five or more points, which makes them the least profitable team in the league. Boston was a 9.5-point favorite entering its Game 1 loss against Philadelphia, in large part because the third-seeded 76ers were without NBA MVP Joel Embiid in the series opener.
The Celtics went on to cover in both Game 2 (-5.5) and Game 3 (-1.5), now 2-3 against the spread in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Green currently are a 2-point road favorite against the 76ers entering Game 6, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
Boston's Game 5 loss caused quite the shake up in the futures market. The Celtics, who had been on one of the board's top lines all season to win the NBA Finals, now are behind the Denver Nuggets (+290), Philadelphia 76ers (+290) and Los Angeles Lakers (+370) as Boston ballooned to +420 after its defeat. Philadelphia now holds a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series while Denver is up 3-2 in its respective series against the Phoenix Suns (11-1) and LA is up 3-1 against the Golden State Warriors (15-1).
The Sixers have since jumped the Celtics to win the Eastern Conference, too, with the Miami Heat and New York Knicks behind both teams. It proves how oddsmakers believe the winner of 76ers-Celtics has an attainable path to the NBA Finals.
