Celtics surpass Heat in NBA title odds after Game 5 win, open as favorites on road in Game 6

Facing elimination for the second game in a row, the Boston Celtics moved one step closer to pulling off an insurmountable feat of winning the series down 3-0, after dominating the Miami Heat in a 13-point Game 5 win Thursday night.

Derrick White led all scorers with 24 points, trimming the Heat’s series lead to 3-2, with a crucial Game 6 in Miami looming. The Celtics are not only gaining steam in the series, but in the betting markets as well.

Entering Game 4, the Celtics had 7/1 odds to win the Eastern Conference and 16/1 odds to win the NBA title. Over the last two games, those odds have dropped drastically, with Boston surpassing the Heat as the second favorite to win it all at BetMGM as of Friday morning.

Odds updated as of 9:45 a.m. on May 26.

Jimmy Butler may have been all smiles in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s night blowout, and even guaranteeing a Heat series win, but the Celtics sure aren’t making it easy for he and the Heat. Boston is now valued at +115 to win the series, a far cry from what the series odds even looked like a few days ago.

The Celtics are also now +280 to win the NBA championship, behind the favored Denver Nuggets, who now sit at -185 after being as high as -275 on Tuesday after sweeping the Lakers.

The Heat, who have been hovering around 3/1 odds to win the championship since their win in Game 3, have now dropped back to back games for the first time all playoffs and sit at +550 to win the title and -135 to win the Eastern Conference.

» READ MORE: Celtics may be down 3-1 to Heat, but sportsbooks are backing Boston to win Game 5

For the fifth time in six games, the Celtics are favorites, opening as 2.5-point favorites against the spread ahead of Game 6 in Miami.

The favorites in this series have only covered the spread in one of the five games so far, which came in Game 5, as the Celtics closed as 8.5-point favorites and ended up winning by 13. This series has been as unpredictable as any in these 2023 NBA playoffs, which should make for a compelling Game 6 as the Heat look to close it out, and the Celtics looking to become just the fourth team in NBA history to push a series to a Game 7 after trailing 3-0 in the series. It was last done 20 years ago.

Here’s a full look at the betting odds ahead of Game 6:

Oddsmakers see this series either ending in a Heat win in six games or a Celtics win in seven games if Boston can extend the series. At BetMGM, both scenarios are valued at +120, while a Heat win in seven games is listed at +450.

In terms of the general series betting, the odds in series seven games is favored to happen, listed at -145 at BetMGM. The price for the series to end in 6 games is listed at +120.