In a game with big potential both on the court and for influence in the standings, the number one team in the East plays the squad in second. Furthermore, Milwaukee trails Boston by only one and a half games.

As per the NBA odds Milwaukee is viewed as a -4 favourite. The over-under sits at 227.5

Celtics vs. Bucks NBA Betting Odds

Despite the advanced stage of the regular season, this is remarkably only the second time the Celtics and Bucks contend against one another. The NBA scheduling gurus clearly have a sense of humour about their work. The Celtics’ earlier 139-118 victory was on Christmas Day and here they are facing each other on Feb. 14 of all dates.

Boston has been a truly excellent road team this year, sporting an 18-9 win-loss tally when playing in hostile environments. Not only has Joe Mazzulla’s unit claimed four consecutive wins, but they’ve done something rather unusual for them: covered each of those spreads. Granted, the club’s record ATS is still only 30-26-1, which pales in comparison to their 41-16 outright win-loss tally, but betters can take note that Boston is trending positively.

They are not, however, trending as positively as their foes. Milwaukee is stomping all over the NBA right now. Not many teams can show off a sparkling 10-0 record in the “last 10 games” column, but the Bucks have done just that. Moreover, as good as the Celtics have been when playing away from home, Fiserv Forum has been a fort, with the Bucks playing to the tune of a 23-5 record there this season. Even their efforts ATS can’t be shunned. It’s not as perfect as 10-0, but 7-3 is still very encouraging.

Boston Celtics

Tuesday night’s challenge is a tall one, quite literally when one considers Giannis Antetokounmpo. That said, the last week has shown that the Celtics have extraordinary depth and may just be able to pull this off.

It began on Wednesday when the hated 76ers came to town. Philly was healthy and playing good ball. The Celtics were without Marcus Smart (still out), Al Horford, and lost Jaylen Brown mid-game. And yet, what essentially amounted to the Celtics B team played like A-listers, winning 106-99. Charlotte offered little resistance on Friday, but then came the Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon. An intense, playoff atmosphere dominated the proceedings and, as poorly as Memphis had been lately, they did not go down quietly. Evenly distributed scoring (Ja Morant led the team, but only with 25) helped them threaten right until the final minutes. All five Boston starters notched double-digits in points, with Sam Hauser shooting a massive 7-12 for 20 points. Robert Williams III was a beast on defence, as was Jayson Tatum. A tough, hard-fought Celtics win, 119-109.

Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee has travelled and rested since Friday night. They completed a 24-hour stay in the Los Angeles area to handle the Lakers on Thursday night and then the Clippers on Friday.

Neither Los Angeles club could stop the speeding train that is the Bucks. Funnily enough, of the two, it was the Lakers who pushed back more despite resting LeBron. As for the Clippers, it seems bewildering they somehow shot 49.4 per cent. Watching the game, during the very stretch in the fourth quarter when they had to make a push to steal the win, absolutely nothing fell for them. As for the Bucks, what else needs to be said about the Greek Freak? He was on fire (35 points), putting more than one Clipper on a poster in the paint, and Brook Lopez was outstanding on the glass, collecting 15 rebounds. Bucks win 119-106.

Boston loves shooting from three-point land, but Milwaukee has the fifth-best defence against that form of attack.

As of Monday, Feb. 13, Khris Middleton is listed as Day-to-Day.

NBA Prediction: Who Will Win Celtics vs. Bucks?