Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The Boston Celtics head to Milwaukee to play the Bucks on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Boston is coming off a 130-111 road loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. Milwaukee, meanwhile, is set to play in Indiana on Wednesday night as this is written before that game ends.

Celtics Chasing Bucks

Boston is currently in second place in the East being 2.5 games back of Milwaukee before the Bucks play their game on Wednesday. The Celtics are coming off a road loss to the Washington Wizards in a game Boston was 11-point favorites. The Celtics were outscored in the first three quarters and trailed 99-78 after three. In the loss, Boston was led by Jayson Tatum who had 28 points, Jaylen Brown had 18 points, Marcus Smart had 14, and off the bench, Malcolm Brogdon had 13 points.

The Celtics are 52-24 and in second in the East while being 2.5 games up on the Philadelphia 76ers for second. Boston is currently 7-3 in their last 10 and 24-15 on the road while averaging 118 PPG which ranks third while allowing 112 PPG which ranks sixth. This season, the Celtics have been led by Tatum who's averaging 30.1 PPG, Brown is averaging 26.8 PPG, Brogdon is averaging 14.6 PPG, and Derrick White is chipping in with 14.6 PPG.

Boston will be without Danilo Gallinari.

Bucks On Back-To-Back

Milwaukee is set to play in Indiana on Wednesday night in a game the Bucks are 11.5-point favorites. Before the back-to-back, Milwaukee picked up a 126-117 road win over the Detroit Pistons in a game the Bucks outscored Detroit in three of the four quarters and cruised to the win. Milwaukee was led by Khris Middleton who had 34 points, Brook Lopez had a double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds, Bobby Portis had a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Jevon Carter had 22 points.

The Bucks are currently in first in the East being 54-21 while being 7-3 in their last 10 and 30-7 at home. Milwaukee is averaging 116.8 PPG which ranks sixth while allowing 112.4 PPG which ranks ninth while shooting 47.1% from the field and 36.5% from three. The Bucks have been led by Giannis Antetokounmpo who's averaging 31.1 PPG and 11.7 rebounds, Jrue Holiday is averaging 28.9 PPG, Lopez is averaging 15.7 PPG, Middleton is averaging 15.5 PPG, and Portis is averaging 13.8 PPG.

Milwaukee will be without Meyers Leonard and Jae Crowder while Joe Ingles, Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Goran Dragic are all likely to play.

Best Bets

Full-Game Side Bet

Rating:

With Milwaukee on the back-to-back and dealing with some players banged up, I like Boston to win and cover here as I expect the Bucks to be cautious with their players. Although Milwaukee has been solid against the spread, so to have the Celtics. This is also the third meeting between these two teams with the home team winning both games but this one is a bit different due to the Bucks being on the back-to-back. If Milwaukee does hold some players out, the Celtics will have a field day on defense as Boston plays a very tough defense as opponents shoot just 46.5% from the field and 34.9% from three. With less than 10 games left, Boston will be going all out to try and get the one seed, and as well as holding off the 76ers for the second seed in the worst-case scenario which is why I like Boston to cover and really push the pace against the Bucks on the back-to-back.

Take Boston.

Prediction: Celtics

Full-Game Total Pick

Rating:

Even though Milwaukee is on a back-to-back, I still like the over here as both these offenses can score plenty, and given the Bucks are on a back-to-back, the total is brought down a few points which helps the over out. Boston is currently playing at a pace of 100 which ranks 22nd while their offensive efficiency ranks third compared to Milwaukee playing at a pace of 102.9 which ranks eighth while their offensive efficiency ranks 13th. Meanwhile, in the two games these two teams have played this season, the games have averaged 256.5 PPG as these offenses are just a step ahead of their defense. Finally, in Boston's last five games, the games are averaging 232.4 PPG while Milwaukee's last five games are averaging 238.2 PPG.

Take the over.

Prediction: Over

Cole Shelton graduated from Sheridan College in 2017 and while he was there, began enamored with sports betting. He grew up watching all the major sports in NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL and has since begun covering MMA as well. Cole has a proven track record as a winning bettor for past sites before joining SaltStat. He currently covers MMA at BJPENN among other sites and all sports at CBC Sports in Canada along with his work at SaltStat.