The road team is 4-0 straight up and against the spread through the first four games of this series between the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics. The Celtics hope to buck that trend with a win at home on Wednesday night.
NBA playoff odds 2017, Bulls vs. Celtics: Boston home favorite in pivotal Game 5
The Celtics host the Bulls on Wednesday looking to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round matchup, but the betting trends are favoring the road team.
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Boston is an 8-point home favorite in Game 5 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In the first two games of this series, the Celtics lost outright as a 6.5-point favorite in Game 1 and a 7.5-point favorite in Game 2.
Boston Celtics
This series began with a heavy weight on the shoulders of Celtics star Isaiah Thomas, as his sister died in a car crash the day before the series opener. Thomas played through the tragedy and scored 33 points in Game 1, but Boston fell short in a 106-102 loss. After being blown out in Game 2, 111-97, it appeared that the Celtics were in deep trouble heading back to Chicago.
But Boston has turned things around with back-to-back wins, regaining home-court advantage for what is now a best-of-three series.
Home court hasn’t helped the Celtics in the postseason much in recent years. Boston is 3-8 SU and 5-6 ATS in its last 11 home playoff games, per the OddsShark NBA Database.
Betting Line / Total: Boston -8 / 202 Points
Trend: The Celtics are 5-6 ATS in their last 11 playoff games at home.
Trend: The OVER is 7-0 in the Bulls’ last seven games as a road underdog.
Chicago Bulls
It’s possible that a team of Boston’s caliber might have fought its way back into this series without Rajon Rondo going down with a broken thumb, but that injury has certainly helped the Celtics’ cause. Chicago averaged 108.5 points per game with Rondo running the offense, highlighted by an impressive 14-assist effort in Game 2. That production dipped down to 91 points per game in Rondo’s absence over the last two games.
The Bulls are 5-2 SU and 7-0 ATS in their last seven games as a road underdog, and will try to pull off an upset Wednesday without their star point guard.
Wednesday’s total is set at 202 points on the NBA lines. The OVER is 7-0 in Chicago’s last seven games as a road dog.
The complexion of the series has changed with Rondo’s injury and Boston now has the momentum entering Game 5. If the Bulls hope to turn things around, they’ll need to figure things out on offense in a hurry.
Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics
When: Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Ma.
