| Game Time | 7:30 pm EST |
| Milwaukee Bucks Line | +6.5 |
| Boston Celtics Line | -6.5 |
| Total | 231 |
| TV: | NBA TV |
Two of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference are clashing today, as the Boston Celtics are hosting the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics are enjoying another dominating campaign so far this season, as they are second only to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and have lost only once in their last 10 games. The Bucks have been playing extremely well lately, but they are coming off a shocking home defeat by the Hawks, that ended their previous seven-game winning streak.
Below is a detailed analysis for Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics game.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics Prediction
Boston Celtics Injury Report: Jason Tatum, Jrue Holiday are day-to-day
Milwaukee Bucks Injury Report: Giannis Antetokounmpo, T. Prince, M. Beauchamp, Khris Middleton are day-to-day.
Boston Celtics Recent Form and Trends
The Celtics have a 18-4 record this season and are sitting on the second place of the East. Boston is 9-13 against the spread and 11-10-1 in over/under. The Celtics have a 9-2 home record but just 4-7 against the spread, with a +9.1-point differential. Boston is 9-1 in their last 10 games, but 2-7 against the spread in their last 9. Over is 4-2 in their last 6 home games.
Boston is coming off a 130-120 win over Detroit, even though they shot worse than the Pistons from the field (49% to 51%). All of Boston’s starters scored double digits, led by Jaylen Brown with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists.
Jason Tatum leads Boston in scoring this season, with an average of 28.4 points, adding 8.6 rebounds and a team-high 5.6 assists. Jaylen Brown adds 25.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
Milwaukee Bucks Recent Form and Trends
The Bucks have a 11-10 record this season and are sitting on the 5th place of the West. Milwaukee is 8-12-1 against the spread and 9-12 in over/under. The Bucks have 3-6 road record, and 4-5 against the spread, with a -3.7-point differential. The Bucks are 7-1 in their last 8 games and 4-2 to the over in their last 6.
The Bucks are coming off a 104-119 loss by Atlanta, as they shot with just 42% from the field. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard did all the heavy lifting for Milwaukee offensively, as they scored 31 and 25 points respectively, but the rest of the team combined for just 48 points in total.
Giannis leads the Bucks both in scoring with league-best 32.6 points and in rebounding with 11.6 per game, adding 6.6 assists per game. Damian Lillard adds 25.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and a team-high 7.5 assists.
Statistical Breakdown
Offensively, the Celtics are third-best in the NBA with 120.5 points per game. They shoot 46% from the field (19th) and 37.6% from beyond the arc (9th). Defensively, they allow 110.2 points per game, which is 7th in the league.
Offensively, the Bucks average 113.6 points per game, which is 14th in the league. Milwaukee shoots with 48.2% from the field (6th) and 39.1% from beyond the arc, which is the third-best in the NBA. Defensively, they allow 112.5 points per game, which ranks 15th in the NBA.
The Celtics have won both previous meetings against the Bucks this season, at home by 119-108 and on the road by 113-107, with both games going under the total. The Celtics are 7-3 in their last 10 meetings against the Bucks, and under is 5-1 in their last 6 meetings.
Prediction
In this Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics Prediction, the Celtics are coming as home favorites. I cannot make a case for the Bucks as road dogs against one of the best teams in the league, especially when they have a 3-6 road record. But it seems when those two teams face each other, there is a playoff-type atmosphere that results in tighter defenses and lower scoring games. In their two meetings this season they had 223.5 average total points, so I don’t expect a high scoring affair today. Take the under.
Nick’s Pick: Under 231