The Boston Celtics will be looking to end their losing streak when they face the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden on Wednesday night. Here we take a look at their chances in our latest NBA betting picks.
Just as the Milwaukee Bucks have hit the turbo chargers, the Boston Celtics have gone into a bit of a late season slump. The long time leaders of the Eastern Conference are now playing catch up to the Bucks. Mike Budenholzer’s team has now passed the Celtics, and the change at the top of the Conference isn’t just down to Milwaukee’s 16-match winning streak, it is also down to the Celtics now being on a three-match losing streak.
How has this affected the betting to win the Eastern Conference and the NBA Championship? Let’s take a look.
In the betting to win the Eastern Conference, Boston is still the favorites, but the gap is getting smaller. The Celtics are +125, with the Bucks at +180. A few weeks back the Celtics were +150 with the best NBA betting sites, and Bucks were +280. So what has happened is both sides have seen their odds shorten. The reason why the Celtics have seen their odds shorten – while going off the boil – is down to other sides falling out of contention.
In the betting to win the 2023 NBA Championship, the Celtics are still leading the way. Boston is +300, with the Phoenix Suns next at +425. The Suns saw their odds slashed the moment they traded in Kevin Durant last month. The two front runners are followed by the in-form Bucks who are third in the betting at +475.
Below we have put together an odds table from the best NBA finals betting sites. For more details on the best sports betting sites listed below, please check out our best online sportsbook reviews page.
| Latest Betting to Win 2023 NBA Championship |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Phoenix Suns | +425 | +450 | +450 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +575 | +550 | +550 |
| Denver Nuggets | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Golden State Warriors | +1000 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| LA Clippers | +1800 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +2000 | +1600 | +1600 |
For so long this season the Boston Celtics have been the front runners in the whole of the NBA. Joe Mazzulla’s team tasted defeat in the NBA finals in 2022 at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. The Celtics seemed to use the loss as motivation for the 2022/23 season, and have been the favorites in the betting to win the 2023 NBA finals for the majority of the current season. And whilst that’s still the case, they are no longer performing in the same assured manner they were earlier in the season.
In their last ten, the Celtics are 5-5. And as we mentioned earlier, they are currently on a three-match losing streak. The losses have come at the hands of the Nets (115-105), the Knicks (131-129), and most recently, the Cavaliers (118-114).
The loss to the Nets was alarming as the Celtics led 37-15 after the first period. They were then comprehensively outplayed in the following three periods.
The two defeats against the Knicks and the Cavaliers were both in overtime. But Boston had a poor quarter in both those matches that cost them, particularly in the Cavaliers match where they lost the fourth period 31-17. It was as if the gas had just ran out of the tank in that match.
As for the Trail Blazers, well they defeated the Detroit Pistons 110-104 at Little Caesars Arena on Monday night.
It was an odd performance from the Trail Blazers. They raced into a 31-18 lead at the end of the first period, but still managed to let the Pistons back into the match in the second. Portland resumed control in the third and had a 15 points lead going into the final quarter. But even then they seemed to step off the gas. And as a result, the match probably ended closer than it needed to be.
The performance probably best highlights why the Trail Blazers sit in the bottom half of the Western Conference with a 31-24 record. They are 4-6 in their last ten, and are on a winning streak of two,
Despite the Trail Blazers being in better form over the past couple of matches, the Celtics will still expect to end their sequence of three defeats when the two teams clash tonight. And the best sports betting sites seem to agree.
The Celtics are between -500 and -475 on the moneyline, with the Trail Blazers at +375. On the handicap, the Celtics are giving away 9.5 points. Both sides are -110 in this market.
We see the Celtics ending their losing streak. The only question is, can they beat the spread?
The evidence of their last three matches says they don’t, but we have a different theory. Yes, the Celtics are on a bad run at the moment, and they might be happy to just get a win tonight. Even by just one point.
But they will snap out of this run soon enough, and when they do, someone could be on the end of a real hammering. We think that could happen tonight and are making the Celtics to win on the handicap our pick for this match.
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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