NBA Playoffs: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Game 1 Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks meet in the Eastern Conference semis, with this being the first second-round meeting this year. Both teams had an easy task in the opening stage; the Celtics swept the Nets, while on the other hand, the Bucks were better than the Bulls in five games. In general, they didn’t spend too much energy, and more importantly, apart from Khris Middleton, there weren’t any notable injuries. Game 1 takes place at the TD Garden, Boston’s home.

Preview

Milwaukee Bucks (+160) come in this one as underdogs. The champions are in this position because of two factors, the first is Boston’s home-court edge, and the second is Middleton’s absence.

He was supposed to be the guy who slows down Jayson Tatum or at least pressures him on the offensive side. With the veteran forward out, that tactical thought won’t be possible. He scored 20.1 points with 5.4 boards and assists this season, and on the other hand, the defensive contribution was excellent.

Giannis will have to double his effort now, the same as Jrue Holiday, but there are also several players who had a nice role against the Bulls, waiting off the bench to jump in and partially replace Middleton. Grayson Allen could be that guy when it comes to the offensive assignments, as he scored 13 points against the Bulls, with 58.3% shooting for three.

Boston Celtics (-180) were astonishing against the top favorite for winning the title before the season began, the Brooklyn Nets. They gave Kyrie and Durant a lesson these two won’t forget for a long time.

The Nets couldn’t score more than 115 points in any of four games, and even though all the Cs’ wins were tight, Ime Udoka’s unit was looking very confident. As if they didn’t doubt for a second in victory, regardless of the current result.

Tatum has been unstoppable in the series against Brooklyn, scoring 29.5 points, and he also had 7.3 assists, perfectly creating space and then feeding his teammates. The positive thing for the CS before the start of the series is the recovery of their starting center, Robert Williams III, who was arguably the best defender in his position this year. Boston’s fantastic finish of the previous season was largely because of this guy.

Head to Head Games

The first two season games, which took place in Boston, saw the hosts winning, one after OT, 122-113, and the second 117-103. The latter two at Fiserv Forum saw the Bucks triumphing, 117-113 and 127-121, the most recent being on April 7.

Prediction

The line for the total number of points is set at 218.5, and for us this is an under. Unlike the Nets, who are pretty fragile on the defensive side, the Bucks have one of the best defenses in the league. Meanwhile, Boston’s biggest strength is defense as well, and besides Tatum’s and Brown’s individual qualities, that is the difference-maker in Cs’ evets. All this is forcing us to go with Under, especially because Boston plays at home, where they tend to be tougher and more aggressive.

Pick: Under 218.5 points