The Boston Celtics are 12-3 against the spread in their last 15 games as a double-digit underdog and 2-1 straight up in their last three instances as one. The Celtics will try to pick up another big upset in Game 4 facing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers 2017 odds: Boston a big Game 4 underdog despite upset win
Coming off a huge upset victory in Game 3, the Boston Celtics will look to even the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers in Cleveland in Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Boston is a 14.5-point road underdog at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Cavaliers are 6-4 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games as a double-digit favorite.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics lost the first two games of this series in Boston by a total of 57 combined points. With leading scorer Isaiah Thomas ruled out for the remainder of the postseason with a hip injury, a sweep for the Cavaliers looked like all but a formality.
Instead, Boston pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NBA history in Game 3, winning outright as a 16.5-point underdog. In doing so, Boston became just the third team since 1995 to win outright as such a large dog, and the first team to do so in the postseason in the last 20 years.
Over their last eight playoff games the Celtics are just 3-5 SU, but they’ve gone 10-4 ATS over their last 14 per the OddsShark NBA Database.
Betting Line / Total: Cleveland -14.5 / 215 Points
Cleveland Cavaliers
The stunning loss in Game 3 isn’t likely to prevent Cleveland from eventually winning this series, but it did cost the team a chance to keep pace with Golden State for the all-time record of 11 straight wins to start a postseason.
The Cavaliers also won’t break Los Angeles’ 28-year-old record of 13 straight postseason wins, settling for a tie of that record with a 13-0 SU and 9-2-2 ATS run before Sunday’s loss. Cleveland is 12-2 SU and 10-4 ATS over its last 14 playoff home games.
Tuesday night’s total is set at 215 points on the Vegas odds. Each of Cleveland’s last six postseason home games have gone OVER the posted total.
Had the Celtics put forth the effort and execution that they did in Game 3 in the first two games of this series, they might not be in the position that they are in now. Boston apparently won’t go down without a fight as some previously expected, but another outright win in Cleveland is a dubious proposition.
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers
When: Tuesday, May 23, 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
