Magic at Celtics Game 3 NBA Playoffs East Finals Odds & Predictions: The Boston Celtics, after taking the first two games of the NBA East Conference Finals in Orlando, get a chance to take a stranglehold on that series at home when they host the Magic for Games 3 and 4 Saturday (8:30 pm Eastern, ESPN) and Monday (8:30, ESPN).
SPORTSBETTING.com is listing Boston at -4 for its Game 3 Saturday, with an OVER/UNDER of 190. The Celts are also moneylined at -170, with Orlando getting +150 to win the game outright.
Oddsmakers are favoring Boston at -575 to win the East Finals series, with the Magic getting +420 to come back and successfully defend their conference championship of last season.
The Celtics took the first two games of the East Finals in Orlando by scores of 92-88 and 95-92 – which is a bit surprising considering the Magic knocked the Celtics out of last year's playoffs, and took three of four games from Boston during this regular season.
Also, the first two games in this series have played UNDER their SPORTSBETTING.com totals, as have five of the six games these two teams have played this season, which have averaged just 178 points.
Through the first two games of this series the Celtics are shooting 45% from the field, and holding Orlando to just 41% shooting.
For the Celtics to win the series they must continue playing lights out basketball in order to contain Orlando. The Magic are 2-0 against the Celtics in the TD Garden this season and have won three straight games in Boston dating back to their 101-82 blowout victory in Game 7 of last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals. Boston can least afford to allow the Magic to reverse the work accomplished by Boston in Orlando.
Boston gets it done in Game 3 (-4).
