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The Milwaukee Bucks (49-30) will play host to the Boston Celtics (50-30) on Thursday with playoff implications on the line. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Fiserv Forum.
The Bucks, sitting in third place, are just half a game behind the Celtics with only three left to play. A win at home over Boston tonight would see the two teams level on overall record, but there are a plethora of tiebreaker scenarios up in the air before the season comes to an end.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Bucks favored by 6.5 points at home over the Celtics, priced at -265 on the moneyline. Boston sits at +215 on the moneyline while the point total is set at 227.5.
Celtics vs. Bucks, 7:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Bucks -6.5
With both teams still fighting for playoff positioning, don’t expect either side to rest the majority of its starters like some other teams around the league will. As it stands, the Bucks would play the Bulls if the playoffs were to start today, but jumping into second place would see them kick off their postseason against a current play-in team.
Both teams are 3-2 ATS in their last five outings, while the Celtics are riding a three-game winning streak. In fact, both teams just played the Bulls on the road. The Bucks beat Chicago by 21 points on Tuesday while the Celtics did one better and topped the Bulls by 23 points last night. Giannis Antetokounmpo only played 24 minutes against Chicago and ended the game with 18 points, so he should be well-rested for tonight’s contest.
With Boston on the second game of a tough back-to-back on the road, it makes me lean more toward the defending champs getting the win and the cover tonight.
Over/Under: Over 227.5
The Bucks have gone over the total in their last three straight, and four of their last five. The Celtics have fared well against the total, going over in eight of their last 10 games. The Bucks have averaged 115.2 points per game this season, with the Celtics not too far behind at 111.3. The Celtics have had an overall better defense this campaign, though, allowing an average of just 104.1 points per game from opponents while the Bucks have been allowing 111.9. With playoff implications on the line, I’m taking the over on this one as both offenses will be looking to take advantage.
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