Celtics open as huge betting favorites over Hawks in first round matchup
The Celtics found out their first-round playoff opponent on Tuesday night when the Hawks upset the Heat in the NBA Play-In Tournament and that result was a favorable one for Boston in the eyes of the betting public.
The Celtics have opened up as the biggest betting favorites among all known first-round matchup to date, listing at -1000 series favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Boston’s also favored to win the series in a short matchup overall in the seven game series with the series spread being -2.5 games and the most likely series result bet being just five games (+160).
21+ and present in MA. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com..The team’s title odds have dipped in recent weeks amid a fall behind the Bucks to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and their current odds of +360 to win the NBA title are a shift from the start of the season.
“It’s a funny thing. They started out as favorites for us at the beginning of the season and their odds have lengthened recently,” Karol Corcoran, FanDuel’s general manager said. “I see a case where they will stabilize the ship and I think once the playoffs start, it’s a fresh start. I wouldn’t write them off. I think they are fairly priced right now. I think if their odds do lengthen, that would be a good value bet. I think they may surprise a few people.”
One place where the Celtics have unsurprisingly remained heavy favorites in the past month is in the Massachusetts betting market since the launch of online sports betting last month. During that span, Massachusetts bets have made up 50 percent of FanDuel’s handle to win the NBA championship.
The success of the Celtics and Bruins in the regular season has raised the level of interest from local customers in the market.
“We’re very pleased with the engagement we’re seeing from customers,” Corocan said of FanDuel. “Customers are really enjoying the products, promotions and our same game parlays products are particularly resonating in Massachusetts. Obviously, the Celtics and Bruins are the main attractions that people are betting on. Very encouraging signs so far, we’re pleased. When we think about the Celtics, it will undoubtedly help if they go on a tear in the playoffs, it will help our Massachusetts business too. We’ve seen that before in Ohio with the Bengals.”
The numbers back up that assessment so far when it comes to the Celtics title odds. Before the launch of betting in Massachusetts, the handle in the NBA championship market only had nine percent on the Celtics. That has nearly double in the past month to 16 percent locally so local betting is impacting the national picture as fans grow more confident in Boston.
“Basketball is our most important sport,” Corocan said. “It’s the one where we have the best offering from a business perspective. It’s our biggest handle and revenue sport because there are so many games in a season.”
The Celtics kick off their postseason run on Saturday afternoon when they host the Hawks in Game 1 at TD Garden at 3:30 p.m. ET
