Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Odds
| Bucks Odds | +5.5 (-114) |
| Celtics Odds | -5.5 (-106) |
| Over/Under | 214.5 |
| Date | Wednesday, May 11 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Channel | TNT |
*Odds are according to FanDuel as of Wednesday afternoon
The Bucks and Celtics face off in what may be the most important individual playoff game so far.
With the Heat and 76ers languishing on their side of the bracket — neither look particularly sharp — oddsmakers believe the winner of this series between Milwaukee and Boston will advance to the NBA Finals.
And teams that have won Game 5 when the series is tied at two have gone on to win the series 82% of the time, according to Action Labs.
That implies odds of about -455 that the winner of Game 5 will advance to the next round.
Bettors are surely examining the moneyline side of the equation — that's what mainstream fans care about the most, and a $100 bettor that wagered on the underdog in each game this series would be up 22.5% on their investments.
But it's the total that some shrewd bettors have been licking their chops on — dating back to the first round.
The Bucks are 8-1 against the spread (ATS) on unders since the postseason began, including a perfect 5-0 during their first round series versus the Bulls.
The only over that has hit was in Monday's Game 4, which netted 224 points on a total of 213.5.
A $100 under bettor would be up $627 thanks to the Bucks.
Still, retail bettors love the over, enough to have made the majority of individual bets on that line for tonight's contest. For games of high magnitude, the public bets the over in droves — and not always to profitability.
Each of the last 12 NBA playoff games have had the majority of individual bettors on the over. That bet has gone 5-7 over that timeframe, meaning a $100 bettor would be down $245.
While the majority of individual bettors are riding the over tonight, 57% of the money is on the under, which means bettors have placed more total money across the market on this game scoring fewer than 214 points, according to The Action Network's proprietary tracking data.
A $100 under bettor would be up $300 had he or she bet on every under during the second round of the postseason.
