NBA: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks clash on Friday night at the TD Garden. These two teams developed a rivalry over the past few years, and each of their matchups has been a fierce battle. Right now, both teams are in problems, Milwaukee due to injuries, and Cs having trouble keeping positive chemistry in the locker room. Though, their overall form is going up, and we anticipate one true old-school contest, because simply, that’s the way things go when Bucks and Celtics meet.

Preview

Milwaukee Bucks (6-6, -130) have back-to-back wins on the road, in Philadelphia and New York. Those two matches have provided a good morale boost for Mike Budenholzer’s guys, who needed something like this to get back on the winning trail.

Even though he isn’t 100% ready for the toughest challenges, the significance of Jrue Holiday was seen in the past two games. One of the best two-way point guards in the league was excellent in the Big Apple, scoring 18 points with four threes and adding six assists. Plus, he was very good in clutch moments on the defensive side.

Pat Connaughton had 23 points with nine boards and five assists, recording seven threes in 13 tries, all that in 31 minutes. Grayson Allen and Giannis dropped 15 each, with the note that the Greek Freak rebounded 15 times and assisted on 8 occasions. Bobby Portis was superb with 17 buckets. All in all, the Bucks were very well in this match, and they all had an equally significant role.

Boston Celtics (5-6, +115) ended their three-game road trip, to come back home and defeat the Toronto Raptors. Previously, the Cs won twice, against the Magic and the Heat, and only lost in Dallas, 107-104 in a match that could have ended in their favor as well.

Jaylen Brown is out due to his injury, and this is undoubtedly a big blow for Ime Udoka’s team. Still, this massive problem could easily strengthen the weakened bond between the players and become an initial spark for the Cs’ comeback.

Six players had double-digit points against the Raptors, with Jayson Tatum having 22 with 12 boards and seven assists. Dennis Schroder had 20, while Robert Williams III delivered a double-double – 16 points and 13 rebounds. Josh Richardson was excellent off the bench, dropping 15 buckets.

Head to Head Games

The Cs had two wins last year, while Bucks posted one. In 2019 the Bucks eliminated the Cs from the playoffs in five matches.

Prediction

We can’t wait for this match to start. In our humble opinion, the defenses will lead the way. The Celtics like to play hard and low-efficient contests, especially against top teams, and as you might see, they often kept the rivals under 100 points in recent times. On the other side, we’ve witnessed the Bucks’ defensive capability, and they can adjust to this style without any problems. Giannis, Holiday, Portis, and the remaining part of the crew know how to make stops when things get tough, which is why we suggest betting on under 214 points, which is the current line for the total points.

Pick: Under 214 points -110

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