The Daily Sweat: Celtics were NBA's best team, then fell into a sudden slump

Not long ago the Boston Celtics were 21-5. They probably weren't going to challenge the Golden State Warriors' 73-win season or anything, but it looked like they'd post the NBA's best record by a wide margin.

Then the Celtics went 1-4 with some strange losses.

Boston still could finish as the best team in the NBA and win a championship, but its latest slump is cause for concern.

The Celtics look to bounce back Wednesday night. They're 9.5-point favorites at BetMGM vs. the Indiana Pacers. If they lose that one it will be alarming.

Since destroying the Phoenix Suns 125-98 on Dec. 7, the Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, needed a big comeback to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime, then lost to a bad but recently feisty Orlando Magic team twice in a row.

The Celtics' offense has been the biggest issue. Boston's shooting has fallen way off the past few games. The Celtics' depth was a big part of their great start, and the bench has been struggling lately too.

The Celtics should be fine. It's a long season and just about everyone has a lull. They have an MVP favorite in Jayson Tatum, another All-Star in Jaylen Brown and perhaps the deepest rotation in the NBA. Oddsmakers also know how good the Celtics are, and their spreads will be high all season. Boston hasn't covered a spread since Dec. 7 (it pushed against the Lakers). Perhaps there's value fading the Celtics while they figure out their slump.

Here is the first look at the sports betting slate for Wednesday:

The rest of the NBA

The best game in the NBA on Wednesday is probably the Milwaukee Bucks at the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are 1.5-point favorites. The Bucks have taken over as the top team in the Eastern Conference by a half-game with the Celtics' slump, but the Cavs are only two games back. They've won four in a row. The Cavs have been a bit streaky — they won eight in a row early in the season, followed immediately by a five-game losing streak — but it's clear their young nucleus is going to be a factor in the East all season. A win on Wednesday would be a sign they're a threat to steal the Central Division from the Bucks.

The rest of the 11-game NBA slate is fairly light on great matchups, though a hot New York Knicks team will try to extend its eight-game winning streak against the Toronto Raptors. They're 1.5-point favorites.

One bowl game

The New Orleans Bowl is the only college football bowl game on Wednesday. South Alabama is a 3.5-point favorite over Western Kentucky. South Alabama was 10-2 this season and is looking for its first bowl win. Western Kentucky, with a fantastic passing game, has an 8-5 record.

UNC and Michigan looking for big win

North Carolina vs. Michigan was supposed to be a marquee game on the college basketball schedule. It's still interesting, but mostly because both teams have been disappointing.

UNC is far off of its preseason No. 1 ranking, but it's still a 5.5-point favorite over the Wolverines. Michigan is 7-3 without a quality win on its resume, and North Carolina is 8-4. The Tar Heels salvaged an overtime win against Ohio State on Saturday after tying the game at the buzzer in regulation. Both teams could still end up being very good by March, but it has not been the start to the season either team hoped for.

NHL has 7 games

The most interesting NHL game could be the New Jersey Devils at Florida Panthers, because it's hard to know what to make of the Devils. New Jersey had a 13-game winning streak in November, and now is on a six-game losing streak. One of those losses came in overtime, but the last four have been in regulation. The Panthers haven't been able to replicate their great record from last regular season, but they're a -140 favorite against the slumping Devils.

What's the best bet?

The best team in the NBA lately, from a betting standpoint, has been the Orlando Magic. They've covered the spread eight games in a row. They've covered (and won straight up) against some good teams, too. It's a little scary to take them as a road favorite, but I'll lay the 1.5 points at the Houston Rockets, who have the West's worst record at 9-21.