Winners of six straight games and 9 of their last 10, the Boston Celtics are the hottest team in the NBA. Thanks to their holiday surge and defeating teams like the Kings, Clippers, and Lakers, they are beginning to create some distance between themselves and the other contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Celtics Have Won 6 In A Row, Increase Lead In The East
sky walking 👀 pic.twitter.com/O3dEzjNotm
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 1, 2024
Boston entered the 2023-24 NBA season as one of the championship favorites, along with the Bucks and Nuggets. They’ve made good on those projections through the first two months of the season, as they have maintained the best record in the league throughout most of the campaign thus far.
But there have been a couple of teams that have been hot on their heels since the opening tip. On December 15th, both the Bucks and 76ers were two games back of the Celtics, and Milwaukee actually cut the lead to a half-game a week before Christmas. But Boston hasn’t lost since, and they now have a 2.5 game lead on the Bucks entering Tuesday’s action.
Philadelphia has faltered a bit over the same time span, thanks in large part to injuries. MVP candidate Joel Embiid has missed the last four games with an ankle sprain, and the 76ers are 2-2 in their last 4 games while the Celtics continue to win. Philly is in third place in the East, and are now a full four games back.
76ers Could See A Boost From Embiid’s Return
Joel Embiid (ankle) not listed on injury report for Tuesday.
— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) January 1, 2024
Things could shift over the next couple of weeks, though. The Celtics will be going through a tough six-game stretch starting tonight against Oklahoma City, and bookends with a matchup against the rival Bucks on January 11th. Embiid is set to return from injury tonight as well if everything goes as planned, so the 76ers could see a surge coming in the next few games as well.
Boston still holds the designation for the shortest odds to win the NBA Championship in June, coming in at +340. The Nuggets are listed at +425 and the Bucks at +450. As for the Eastern Conference, the 76ers are currently back at +450, while the Celtics and Bucks are at +125 and +180.
For tonight’s game against the Thunder, the Celtics are 4.5 point road favorites against one of the top teams in teh Western Conference.
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