The Boston Celtics are off to another rip-roaring start, with the NBA’s second-best win percentage (.762) and holding onto the top seed in the Eastern Conference. According to legal sportsbooks in Massachusetts , the Celtics are also the favorites to win the 2023-2024 NBA Championship.
A major reason for Boston’s success has been the team’s lack of injuries, with the team’s starting rotation missing a total of 11 games this season, which ranks as the 13th-most among the franchises. Leaguewide, the Celtics games missed figure is slightly lower than Orlando (13 games missed) and in a tie with Atlanta, the L.A. Clippers and Dallas — with no Boston starter missing more than five games this season. Teamwide, Boston’s starting five has produced a career win total (via Basketball-Reference.com) of 205.8, which ranks 11th in the NBA.
All of those stats combine to explain why the Celtics have the best Eastern Conference championship odds on ESPN BET Massachusetts at +155. To get a sense of where Boston ranks, BetMassachusetts.com broke down the numbers to see which teams have fared best when it comes to games missed in 2023-24.
Most Games Missed By NBA Starters
The Celtics championship odds are currently the best in the NBA at +360. Denver and Milwaukee are tied for second at +425.
Celtics Have Been Spared Injury Bug
Of the games missed by Celtics starters, veteran big man Kristaps Porzingis has contributed the most, with the Latvian center sitting out five of the team’s games with a calf injury.
Other than that, Boston’s seen Derrick White miss three games, while guards Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown have missed two and one game this season. Most valuable player candidate Jaylen Brown — who has odds to win the MVP at +20000 at BetMGM Massachusetts — has played in all of Boston’s games this year.
Of Boston’s starting five, Holiday has the highest career win share total (64.6), while Tatum (48.3 win shares), Porzingis (37.1 win shares), Brown (30.7 win shares) and White (25.1 win shares) round out the list to get Boston to their five-man total of 205.8 win shares. That total ranks just outside the NBA’s top 10, less than half of the total No. 1 Golden State has put up (446.1 win shares). But Boston is off to a 16-5 start this season, while the Warriors are 10-12.
Interested in placing wagers on the Celtics this season? Be sure to check out our reviews of the best Massachusetts sports betting apps, all of which offer odds on NBA Finals, game odds, player props and more.
