The Milwaukee Bucks (41-40) will wrap the regular season on their home court when they square off against the Boston Celtics (38-42) at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 15 and will air on CSN-NE and FSN-WI.
The Bucks beat the 76ers 107-97 on Monday. Michael Carter-Williams led all scorers with 30 points on 11-for-17 shooting. The Celtics, meanwhile, are coming off a 117-78 win over the Cavaliers on Sunday. Evan Turner stood out for Boston, accumulating 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Over the last five games, Carter-Williams has really been playing well for the Bucks. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 2.6 steals. On the other side, the Celtics have been led by Isaiah Thomas. He has been on fire, averaging 23.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.6 three-pointers in the same time frame.
The Bucks have won both matchups against the Celtics this season, including a 110-101 victory in their last matchup. O.J. Mayo scored a game-high 24 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Bucks enter the game with records of 41-40 Straight Up (SU) and 45-34-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 30-21 SU and 31-18-2 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Teams have to fight for open shots against the Bucks, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the league at .436. Something to watch out for is if Milwaukee can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 19.1 points off turnovers per game.
On the other side, the Celtics head into the game with records of 47-33 ATS and 38-42 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Boston has gone 26-24 SU and 30-20 ATS. The Celtics are a top-five team in the league at finding the open man with an average of 24.4 assists per game.
Milwaukee won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record to 7-3 over the Celtics in the last 10 games. Additionally, with a 5-4-1 record, the Bucks have the advantage ATS. Milwaukee had the advantage in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) three times over the last 10. Boston has had the edge in all categories twice.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS, ATS Winner – BOS
Notes
On average, Boston puts up 101.4 points per game (ranked 12th), while Milwaukee gives up 97.3 points per game (ranked seventh).
Boston ranks 10th in points per away game with 101.2 points, while Milwaukee ranks seventh in points allowed at home with 96.0.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Milwaukee Bucks are a solid 31-12. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Boston Celtics have a losing record of 10-22.
Milwaukee is a poor 10-28 when it gives up 100 or more points. Boston has a 28-20 record when it hits the century mark.
The Bucks have an offensive rating of 100.1 (ranked 25th). The Celtics rank 12th for their defensive rating of 101.7.
With 97.7 possessions and 1.001 points per possession, the Milwaukee Bucks perform worse on both metrics than the Boston Celtics. Boston averages 99.6 possessions and 1.018 points per possession.
Milwaukee has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.9%. Boston is a losing 11-32 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Boston ranks near the top of the league in assists at fourth (24.4 assists per game). Milwaukee is ranked seventh, with 23.4 assists per game.
Milwaukee makes an average of 5.0 blocks per game (ranked 10th), while Boston makes 3.5 blocks per game (ranked 30th).
The Milwaukee Bucks rank 17th in offensive rebounding, while the Boston Celtics rank 11th in defensive rebounding.
Milwaukee averages 9.7 steals per game, ranking first in the league. Boston is a subpar 9-17 when it allows at least 9 steals.
