Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Prediction, NBA Odds
The rested Boston Celtics are catching a bit of a break on Monday night when they host a Milwaukee Bucks lineup playing the second half of a back-to-back. Boston has been off since they fell 111-90 to Phoenix on Friday, while Milwaukee won 112-97 on the road against the Knicks on Sunday.
This game is sitting as a pick’em on the NBA odds, with a total of 220.5.
Bucks vs. Celtics NBA Betting Odds
The only other game between these teams this season was a tight affair, with the Celtics winning 122-113 in overtime at home. Dennis Schroder finished with a game-high 38 points for Boston, while Bobby Portis led Milwaukee with 22 points. Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton did not play for the Bucks.
Milwaukee has been hot lately, winning 12 of their last 14 games. Covering has been a different story though, as the Bucks are 12-16 against the spread this season. They have also failed to cover in six of their last seven trips to Boston. The total has gone Over in six of Milwaukee’s last nine games.
The Celtics have had a rocky season and dropped four of their last five games overall. They’ll likely be glad to be back home, however, as they’ve won six of their last seven at TD Garden. Boston is 13-14 ATS overall and 4-6 ATS at home. The total has gone Under in five of the Celtics’ last six games against Eastern Conference teams.
Milwaukee Bucks
It was a complete team-effort for Milwaukee at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Seven different players recorded double-digit points, highlighted by Middleton’s team-high 24 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Antetokounmpo finished with his first triple-double of the season, putting up 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Portis added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Antetokounmpo is having another MVP-calibre season. The “Greek Freak” is second in league scoring, averaging 27.3 points per game, while also leading the Bucks with 11.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. While fatigue is a reasonable concern for Milwaukee, they’ve proven they’re a balanced team that has solid depth players and they’ll be facing a Boston team that has given up an average of 111-plus points over their last five games.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are likely happy to be back home after dropping four of five games on their West Coast road trip. Jayson Tatum had a game-high 24 points on Friday, but he went just 10-of-25 from the field. Tatum averages a team-high 25.6 ppg and 8.7 rebounds. Marcus Smart had an ugly game, missing his first 11 shots. He eventually finished 1-of-13 from the field, putting up four points. The team shot 15 per cent from 3-point range, going 4-of-26. Smart averages 11 ppg, with a team-high 5.3 assists and a league-best 2.2 steals.
Boston looked lost without Jaylen Brown and Josh Richardson in the lineup on Friday. Brown (hamstring) will return on Monday after missing the entire West Coast trip. Richardson (COVID protocols) remains out. Brown averages 21.4 ppg, while Richardson averages 9.7.
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