The Boston Celtics (52-24) visit the Milwaukee Bucks (55-21) on Thursday night! Action tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET. Below we continue our NBA odds series with a Celtics-Bucks prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Here are the Celtics-Bucks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Celtics-Bucks Odds
Boston Celtics: +2.5 (-110)
Milwaukee Bucks: -2.5 (-110)
Over: 236.5 (-110)
Under: 236.5 (-110)
How To Watch Celtics vs. Bucks
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT Live
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
Last 10 & Standing: 7-3 (Second in the East)
ATS Record: 41-35 (54%)
Over Record: 38-36-2 (51%)
Boston enters tonight's game coming off a brutal, 19-point loss to the lowly Wizards. That said, the Celtics had won three straight before that and have officially clinched a playoff berth. Tonight, Boston has a great chance to cover as home underdogs to a Bucks team they crushed once and then took to overtime without their two best players. Neither Jayson Tatum nor Jaylen Brown appeared in their 131-125 Valentine's Day loss but both are active tonight.
The Celtics feature one of the most well-rounded rosters in the league as they rank in the top six in both scoring and points allowed. Consequently, Boston leads the league in average scoring margin at +6.0 per game. Offensively, the Celtics do an excellent job making the extra pass and limiting turnovers, ranking seventh in total assists and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio. Those timely passes lead to open looks from all over the floor as the Celtics rank in the top 10 in three-point and two-point field goal percentage. In addition to their high efficiency from beyond the arc, the Celtics rank second in threes attempted per game. As a result, Boston scouts as one of the most lethal outside shooting teams in the NBA. While the Celtics are solid on defense, they can be exposed on the glass where they rank 14th in total rebound rate.
Boston took Milwaukee to overtime the last time these teams met and that was without either of their two stars. Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown find themselves in the midst of stellar individual seasons. Tatum leads the team with 30.1 PPG and 8.9 RPG. Additionally, he's continued to develop as a passer and defender with 4.7 APG and 1.7 STOCKS (steals plus blocks) per game. Considering Tatum dropped 41 on the Bucks in their earlier win, his return will be a huge boost after a narrow loss without him in the last meeting. As for Brown, he is right behind Tatum with 26.8 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.4 APG. Jaylen was no slouch the first time they met up with Milwaukee given that he scored 29 points on 58% shooting. Having both stars back in the mix tonight should give the Celtics a huge boost.
Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
Last 10 & Standing: 7-3 (First in the East)
ATS Record: 41-29-6 (59%)
Over Record: 38-38 (50%)
Milwaukee enters tonight's game after an offensive explosion against the Pacers last night. The Bucks dropped 149 points en route to a resounding victory as they have now won five of their last six games. They now host a Celtics team who they did beat the last time they came to town – albeit with Boston missing some key players.
Milwaukee may be the most well-rounded team in the NBA. Ranking seventh in scoring, 12th in defense, and second in rebounding, there isn't much this Bucks team can't do. Offensively, the Bucks love to hunt threes, ranking fourth in both attempted and made threes per game. They are solidly efficient as well, ranking 11th in three-point efficiency and 10th in two-point efficiency. Even when they miss, Milwaukee still has a chance to score thanks to corralling an offensive rebound at the eighth-highest rate in the league. Defensively, the Bucks haven't been as dominant as in years past but remain in the league's top half in nearly every metric. Additionally, Milwaukee rosters a number of elite individual defenders including two in the top five odds for Defensive Player of the Year (Brook Lopez -110 and Giannis Antetokounmpo +4600).
If Milwaukee is going to cover tonight they're going to need both Giannis and Jrue Holiday to continue their stellar play of late. Both of the Bucks stars are coming off eye-opening performances. In their win over Indiana, Holiday scored a career-high 51 points in addition to dishing out eight assists. Somehow, that may have been the less impressive of the two as Giannis put up a 38-point, 17-rebound, 12-assists triple-double. With both stars firing on all cylinders they're catching the Celtics at the perfect time.
Final Celtics-Bucks Prediction & Pick
Boston nearly won without Tatum or Brown in the last matchup. Considering the Bucks just played an away game last night, I'll take the points with the road dogs.
Final Celtics-Bucks Prediction & Pick: Boston Celtics +2.5 (-110)
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