Boston (72-21 straight up, 57-34 against the spread) still can’t buy a victory on the road. That’s the bad news for Celtics fans. The good news is that Doc Rivers and Co. return home tonight and they have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

At this rate – 0-5 both SU and ATS in five road games at Atlanta and Cleveland – they’re certainly going to need it.

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Cleveland (51-41 SU, 44-48 ATS) broke open a tight game in the final minutes of Monday’s Game 4 at Quicken Loans Arena, pulling away for an 88-77 win as a two-point favorite at most books. LeBron James delivered the dagger with a thunderous flush in the face of Kevin Garnett.

James, who continues to struggle with his shooting (more on that below), got it done in other ways, finishing with 13 assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. And, oh yeah, he had 21 points.

Daniel Gibson provided great minutes off the bench, producing 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. Also, Wally Szczerbiak continued to produce with 14 points, while Anderson Varejao had 12 points and six rebounds. Varejao made 6-of-8 attempts from the field.

Paul Pierce struggled again, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field. Pierce, who can get into the lane off the dribble against just about any defender in the league, has had all sorts of trouble shaking loose from James, who defends him on most possessions.

When Pierce does get his, it’s almost always when James is on the bench or has switched off to another player. Ray Allen’s woes also persisted in Game 4, settling for 15 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

In explaining Boston’s road struggles, Allen told the Associated Press, “It’s hard to say. I can’t explain it.”

One problem is the bench. At home, Leon Powe provides energy, defense and rebounding, while Sam Cassell is instant offense from off the pine. James Posey is a lockdown defender who can shoot the 3 when left unguarded.

But on the road, these players have disappeared. Cassell missed all five of his shots from the field in Game 4. Powe, Cassell and Posey combined to shoot 0-for-9 in Game 4.

But now the series shift back to Boston, where the Celtics are 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS in these playoffs. For the season, the C’s are 41-6 SU and 30-16-1 ATS at home.

Meanwhile, the Cavs are 20-26 SU on the road. However, they have hooked up their backers by cashing tickets at a 25-21 clip.

With the series tied at 2-2 in Boston’s previous series against Atlanta, the Celtics returned home and dealt woodshed treatment in the form of a 110-85 victory as 14 ½-point favorites.

This time around, most books have installed Boston as a 8 ½-point ‘chalk’ with a total of 176 ½. The Cavs are plus 400 on the money line (risk $100 to win $400).

Tip-off is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Eastern on TNT.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--James has made only 20-of-78 shots from the field in this series. That’s an abysmal 26 percent.

--The ‘under’ is 28-18-1 for Boston in its home games. Also, the ‘under’ is 5-1 in the Celtics’ six home games during these playoffs.

--The ‘under’ is 3-1 in this series, with Game 3 serving as the lone game to go ‘over’ the number.

--The ‘over’ is 23-22 for Cleveland on the road this year.

--LVSC has adjusted the series price to Boston minus 500, with the Cavs plus 350 on the comeback. Most spots had Cleveland at plus 600 when the series started.

--Richard Hamilton is probably one of the most underrated players in NBA history. With Chauncey Billups nursing an injury, all Hamilton did in the last three games is step up to average 29 points per game. The result is Detroit chilling at home after finishing Orlando in five games. Thanks to Rip, Chauncey can get well and the rest of the team can relax while watching the Cavs and Celtics slug it out.

--I've got winners galore in tonight's pick pack, including this pay-if-it-wins-only selection!

Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.