NBA Betting – Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks
Even without two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo the Milwaukee Bucks continued their roll. With The Greek Freak on the bench Monday night the Bucks had no trouble getting past Indiana, 140-113, for their seventh straight victory. Milwaukee looks to extend their season-long win streak when they host the crumbling Boston Celtics in the first of back-to-back meetings between the East foes. Losers in four of their last five games, Boston dropped below .500 again and is holding onto the No. 8 seed in the conference by the slimmest of margins. Bookmaker.eu offers a generous CASH welcome bonus (max bonus $1600)
Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks
Date and Time: Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
Opening NBA Odds: Bucks -4.5, Total 230
Celtics at Bucks TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
It’s hard to have confidence in the Celtics given their shoddy performance all season. I think it’s safe to say that right now they are not among the elite in the East and holding onto the eighth spot in the conference isn’t even a given. Just when it seems like they are busting out they hit a skid that brings them down. They won four in a row ahead of the All-Star break and seemingly had things in order. It’s been a disaster since. They are just 2-5 SU and ATS since the season resumed with recent losses to Cleveland, Sacramento and Memphis. Winning on the road has been particularly difficult. Boston has the fewest road wins of any team currently in a playoff spot and is 8-15 SU and 7-16 ATS overall on the road. The Bucks are soaring having won seven straight and 12 of 13 creating a logjam at the top of the East standings. They are currently a half-game behind Brooklyn for the No. 2 seed and 1.5-games behind the Sixers. Even if Giannis doesn’t play the Bucks will be favored for the 17th consecutive game. They are 7-9 ATS in the previous 16 contests.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics can lean of some better times to get inspiration for this matchup. The teams opened the season back in December with Boston posting a 122-121 home victory and payout as a 4.5-point dog. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum each hit the 30-point mark in that contest combining for 63. It’s been a rough go recently sparking talk of a trade to improve the roster as the deadline approaches. The bottom line is that the Celtics just aren’t as deep as previous seasons. With Kemba Walker resting and Tatum a late scratch, the Celtics didn’t have enough to overcome Memphis, falling 132-126 in overtime on Monday.
An area of failure this season has been defense. A top-5 group in past seasons under Brad Stevens, the Celtics are in the middle of the pack surrendering 112 points per outing. “When you are missing guys like Jayson and Kemba you have to win with a better defense. I think that’s what we’ve been able to do in the past,” Stevens said. That was an interesting choice of words from the coach who obviously sees defense as a weak spot. And it won’t get easier Wednesday against the second-highest scoring team in the NBA. But at least Walker and Tatum should both be back in the lineup.
Milwaukee Bucks
When the Bucks get rolling they are a hard team to stop. We saw this in previous seasons when they posted the best record in the league. They’d win a bunch of games in a row spearheaded by a relentless offensive attack. Well, they’re at it again. And they showed they can do damage even when Antetokounmpo is on the shelf. Jrue Holiday came up big in the latest victory, a 140-113 thrashing of Indiana, scoring 28 points and dishing out 14 assists. “When our best player is not playing we kind of lock in. Everybody has to do a little bit more. It’s a testament to the team we have,” Holiday said.
The concern now is obviously the health of Giannis. While Mike Budenholzer doesn’t think the knee sprain is a long-term issue, we probably won’t see Antetokounmpo on Wednesday. And there really is no need to rush him back since the team was so dialed in without him. The Bucks scored 48 points in the opening quarter and matched their season-high point total by shooting 56.4 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from behind the arc. Pat Connaughton got the start in place of Giannis hitting 6 of 7 triples for 20 points.
Bet Celtics at Bucks at BookMaker.eu
It would be easy to throw down on the Bucks and count your winnings considering how both teams have played of late. It would be wise for the Bucks to sit Giannis and not risk further injury and that will be a boost for the Cs. And I don’t anticipate the Bucks shooting lights out like they did against Indy. There is a sense of urgency for the Celtics and with Walker and Tatum both back in the lineup they should at least keep the game close. We haven’t seen a line posted yet, but the Celtics will be catching points, and I can live with that.
NBA Score Prediction: Bucks 121, Celtics 118
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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com
