The Milwaukee Bucks have retaken their throne as the top team in the NBA with the Boston Celtics going through a bit of a cold stretch recently. With the two teams set to clash on Christmas Day, the Bucks could be in a prime position to further cement their status as the team to beat this season. So with the contest nearing, let's unveil our Bucks Christmas Day predictions for what will likely be the biggest matchup of the day.

By now, it's become clear that the Bucks and Celtics are the two best teams in the NBA, with no one really emerging as the frontrunner to win the Western Conference this season. Both Milwaukee and Boston have had very impressive starts to the season with their squads at less than full health, and this will be the first rematch of the electric Eastern Conference semifinals matchup between these two teams from last season.

The Bucks may be bumping into the Celtics at the perfect time, as the C's have gone ice cold as of late, although they did reclaim the top spot in the East on Friday night after they won and the Bucks lost. Still, this figures to be a wildly entertaining game, so with that being said, let's jump into our Bucks bold predictions and see what could happen in this game.

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3. Bucks PG Jrue Holiday will record five steals

The Bucks and Celtics are very familiar with each other despite not having played yet this season. Both teams know how to frustrate the other, and it could lead to a very hard fought contest. The guy who may be able to tip the scales in Milwaukee's favor is Jrue Holiday, who was stellar for the Bucks last season in their playoff series against Boston.

Holiday is one of the best defensive guards in the NBA, and he will be looking to irritate the Celtics on that side of the floor all day long. Boston has an affinity for turning the ball over, which plagued them in their playoff run last season, and has popped back up again in recent losses. That could be an area for Holiday to exploit in this game.

Holiday will likely have to be on the top of his game for Milwaukee in this one, especially if Khris Middleton ends up being unable to play. Expect him to be very active on defense, and against a turnover friendly team like the C's, that will result in Holiday coming up with quite a few steals. In total, Holiday will record five thefts on the day, which helps the Bucks defend the most dangerous offense in the league.

2. Bucks PF Giannis Antetokounmpo will score 50 points

The Celtics defense hasn't been as good as it was last season, but even when they are playing up to their potential on defense, Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the few players this team doesn't have an answer for. And with the C's struggling, Antetokounmpo could be in for a big day in this game.

Boston will likely attempt to guard Giannis with a combination of Al Horford and Grant Williams, which is what they did throughout their playoff series last season. Jayson Tatum may be the best bet to clamp Antetokounmpo in this game, but he often found himself playing on the perimeter more often than not, which is a sensible decision.

Again, the C's defense has not been at its best this season, and while they may be at full strength in this game, it won't matter. Antetokounmpo will have a huge 50-point outing in this one, and it will be just enough to power the Bucks to a Celtics team hungry to prove that they still are the best team in the NBA.

1. The Bucks will scrape out a hard-fought 128-124 win over the Celtics

The Christmas Day slate of games is always entertaining, but this game is going to go down as the best of the bunch. The Bucks and Celtics have been the two most dominant teams in the NBA so far, and pitting them against each other here is going to result in a very entertaining game of basketball.

It will be hard-fought throughout. Antetokounmpo will drop 20 points in the first half, but he's nearly matched by 37 combined points from the Celtics star duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston will hold a tight one-point lead at the half, but the Bucks will take the lead heading into the third quarter thanks to a magnificent 17-point frame from Giannis.

After going quiet in the third, Tatum will erupt for 22 points of his own in the fourth quarter, but Antetokounmpo helps keep the Bucks in the game before closing out the win down the stretch. It will be a battle between the two top MVP candidates in the league, but Antetokounmpo will come out victorious this time around, and Milwaukee will walk away with a huge 128-124 victory over Boston.