The Boston Celtics (46-32) will be at home when they play the Milwaukee Bucks (32-46). The game begins at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 8 and will air on CNE and FWi.
The Celtics beat the Pelicans 104-97 on Wednesday. Isaiah Thomas was the game’s leading scorer with 32 points on 10-for-19 shooting. The Bucks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their blowout 109-80 loss against the Cavaliers on Tuesday. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a solid game, registering his 21st double-double of the season with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
Jabari Parker has upped his play over the last five games for the Bucks, averaging 21.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals.
The Celtics lead the season series against the Bucks two games to one, including a 112-107 win the last time these two teams met. Despite the loss, Greg Monroe had a standout performance with 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocks.
The Celtics are hoping to build on their records of 46-32 Straight Up (SU) and 39-37-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 46-32 SU and 39-37-2 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 95.3 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 105.6 points per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Celtics have stifled opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing a three-point field goal percentage of only .333. Boston’s defenders rank second in the NBA in steals with 9.3 per game. Boston is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.7 points per game.
Over on the other bench, the Bucks head into the game with records of 38-38-2 ATS and 32-46 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Milwaukee is 32-46 SU and 38-38-2 ATS. A large part of Milwaukee’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 18.6 points per game off turnovers, which ranks fifth in the league.
Boston won the last meeting this season between these two teams, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the past 10 meetings. They are even ATS in their last 10 meetings as well.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bos
Notes
“Boston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Boston is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston’s last 8 games “.
“Boston is 13-6 ATS in its last 19 games at home”.
“Boston is 17-2 SU in its last 19 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston’s last 5 games when playing Milwaukee”.
“Boston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Milwaukee”.
“Boston is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Milwaukee”.
“Boston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Milwaukee”.
The Boston Celtics are among the highest-scoring squads, earning an average of 105.6 points per game (ranked fifth), while the Milwaukee Bucks are in the top half of NBA teams in points allowed with 102.9 (ranked 15th).
On average, Boston scores 106.0 points per home game (ranked sixth). Milwaukee ranks 15th in points allowed per road game with 103.9.
The Milwaukee Bucks lost their last game by 29 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Boston Celtics are 10-5. Milwaukee is 2-13 in blowouts this season.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Bucks are 18-8 on the season. When the Celtics score fewer than 100, they are a poor 6-15.
The Milwaukee Bucks have a subpar 14-38 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Boston Celtics are 40-17 when they hit the century mark.
The Bucks have an offensive rating of 103.0 (ranked 22nd), while the Celtics rank fourth for their defensive rating of 101.3.
Milwaukee has an average field goal percentage of 46.6% (ranked fifth). Boston is an abysmal 5-17 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Boston Celtics attempt 26.0 three pointers per game this season, while the Milwaukee Bucks attempt 15.0 per game. When they register 25 or more three point attempts in a game, Boston has a record of 25-23 while Milwaukee is winless (0-3).
The Boston Celtics, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.78, rank sixth in the NBA. The Milwaukee Bucks have a lower A/TO (1.60), ranking 17th.
Milwaukee ranks 29th in rebounds per game with 41.5, while Boston ranks sixth with 45.2.
The Milwaukee Bucks rank 13th in offensive rebounding, while the Boston Celtics rank 15th in defensive rebounding.
Boston is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.6% (ranked third). Milwaukee has a losing record of 10-21 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.6% or greater.
