The Milwaukee Bucks head to Beantown to take on the Boston Celtics on Friday at the TD Garden.
The Bucks have gotten back to their winning ways after alternating wins and losses in their previous 10 games. Milwaukee has rattled off wins over Cavaliers, Pistons and Pelicans in their last three outings to improve their Central Division leading record to 21-9. Next up is Boston which defeated Milwaukee in their first meeting this season last November 1st also in Boston.
Aside from scoring, the Bucks also lead the league in rebounds at 49.8 boards per contest. This should be something to watch against a Boston team riddled with frontline injuries. Milwaukee is ranked 5th in passing at 26.5 assists per game. The Bucks are also ranked 11th in points allowed at 109.0 per game.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics 12/21/18
Moneyline Odds: Bucks -102, Celtics -118
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 12/21/18
The Boston Celtics were off to a slow start and then they suddenly emerged with eight straight wins to keep themselves in the thick of the fight for supremacy in the Eastern Conference. But after a string of big man injuries, the Celtics have lost two straight games, dropping games to the Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns. Faced with the beast of the East, Boston has to regroup to avoid a third straight loss.
The Celtics are 14th in team scoring at 111.2 points per game. Boston is tied for 7th place in the passing department with their 25.2 assists per game average. The Men in Green are also ranked 10th in rebounding at 46.1 boards per contest. The C’s also allow just 104.3 points per game which is 4th best in the entire NBA.
These teams have squared off a total of 211 times during the regular season. The Celtics hold the slight lead in their head to head series, 109-102. The Celtics have won four out of the last six meetings including a 117-113 triumph during their first meeting of the season last November 1st in Boston.
Milwaukee won its third straight on Wednesday as the Bucks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 123-115 at their home floor. The Celtics meanwhile have lost two in a row after an eight game winning streak. Boston lost to the lowly Phoenix Suns 103-111 in their last outing.
The Celtics played without Al Horford and Marcus Morris who were sore knees. Things got worse when Aron Baynes broke his hand against the Suns. Baynes is expected to miss at least a month with the injury. Boston needs their bigs against the Bucks who are the #1 rebounding team in the league.
Despite that, Boston still has an armada of weapons lead by Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum. The Celtics have been solid at home this season and they have been solid there against the Bucks dating back to last season. Milwaukee has the healthier line-up but the Celtics have their number in Boston. I’ll give the point away and take the home team in this toss-up.
We’re picking the Boston Celtics to beat the Milwaukee Bucks on 12/21/18.
Milwaukee is 4-8-1 ATS in their last 13 games played. The Bucks are also 5-12-1 in their last 18 games on the road. Boston is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games played and the Celtics are also 8-5 ATS in 13 home games this season. Head to head, Boston is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games against Milwaukee. The Celtics are also 5-0 ATS in their last five home games against the Bucks.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics 12/21/18
Spread Odds: Bucks +1.5 (-109), Celtics -1.5 (-109)
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 12/21/18
The Bucks are 0-6 ATS in their last six meetings in Boston and 2-9 ATS in their last 11 meetings. The Bucks are back on the winning track but they have been terrible ATS on the road. Boston is coming off back to back losses but the Celtics have been one of the best teams in covering home spreads dating back to last season. Boston is 23-7 ATS in their last 30 home games. This has Boston written all over it.
Prediction: Celtics -1.5
The total has gone under in 7 out of the last 8 games played by the Bucks. The under has hit in five out of the last six road games of Milwaukee. The total has gone over in 8 out of the last 11 games of the Celtics. The over is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings between the Bucks and Celtics. The over is also 6-1 in the last 7 games between these two teams in Boston.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics 12/21/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 224.5 -109 Under 224.5 -109
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 12/21/18
The Bucks have seen the over hit in eight out of their last 10 games against teams with winning records. The over is also 21-7 in their last 28 games against the Atlantic Division. On the other hand, the total has also gone over in five out of the last six games of Boston versus their Eastern Conference rivals.
Prediction: Over 224
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