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Jeremy Perry
Bucks vs. Celtics: Game 5 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
The Milwaukee Bucks have fought their way back in to their series with the Boston Celtics with back-to-back wins to tie it at 2-2. Now they will need to do something that no team has done to this point in the series if they are going to go up 3-2: win on the road. Can the Bucks end that trend with a win at TD Garden on Tuesday night?
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The home team has won each of the first four games in this series. That shouldn’t be a surprise considering that these teams combined for a 52-30 record on their home courts in the regular season.
The Bucks are just 5-16 ATS in their last 16 after a win and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 on the road against a winning team. Meanwhile, the Celtics are 7-1 ATS in their last eight at home and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 following a straight up loss. We’ll see if they can rebound in this spot.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks squandered a 20-point lead in Game 4 but still came out on top with the 104-102 win thanks to a tip-in basket in the dying seconds by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak led the way for Milwaukee with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the win. Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton have both been excellent for the Bucks so far in this series but they will need more help from their bench if they are going to take a 3-2 series lead on Tuesday night.
Jabari Parker had 16 points on five-of-10 shooting for Milwaukee in Game 4. Parker has the talent to be a difference-maker off the bench but needs to be more consistent from the field. The Bucks will also need to be better defensively after forcing just eight turnovers in Game 4. Antetokoumpo and Middleton have been solid but it will take a complete team effort to upset the Celtics in Game 5 on the road.
Boston Celtics
Boston might not have won Game 4 but they should take some confidence out of the fact that they came back from down 20 points in the second half. The Celtics dominated the boards with a 43-36 edge in rebounds and also won the turnover battle. They won the turnover battle in Games 1 and 2 and won, and when they took care of the ball in Game 4 they gave themselves a shot. That’s a key to this game.
Marcus Morris is one player that has to be better in Tuesday’s NBA matchup. Morris went just four-of-14 from the field and finished with 13 points. The Celtics also need more from Terry Rozier, who averaged 23.0 points per game in the first two contests before totaling just 19 points in the last two games.
If this team gets back to playing efficient on offense and smart on defense, the home-court advantage should push them towards a slight win.
