The Milwaukee Bucks will face off against the Boston Celtics in an Eastern Conference clash, tipping off at 7:30 p.m. ET during tonight’s 14-game NBA slate.
This is the first matchup of the season between these two opponents, who have different aspirations for the season. The Celtics currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-2 record, while the Bucks are tied for the worst record in the East following their 1-6 start. However, it is important to note that Jayson Tatum has been ruled out for tonight’s matchup, which shifts Boston’s outlook a good bit.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s matchup, the Celtics enter as 11.5-point favorites with -493 Moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Bucks hold +378 odds to pull off the outright win, with the game total set at 221.5 points.
Bucks vs. Celtics Preview
The Milwaukee Bucks have slipped to a 1-6 record to start the season, tying the Bulls, Nets, Clippers, Kings, and Jazz for the worst record in the NBA. Their lone victory came against the Indiana Pacers, and they have fallen short against the Wizards, Bulls, 76ers, Rockets, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves already this season. Through their first seven games, the Bucks have gone 2-5 against the spread, and the game total has gone over in five of those seven contests.
Tyler Herro headlines the production for this Bucks team, posting averages of 21.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. Jaime Jaquez Jr. adds 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, while Kel’el Ware contributes 11.4 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds. All three were among the primary pieces Milwaukee received in the offseason trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kyle Kuzma and Ryan Rollins are also averaging double figures, while Kasparas Jakučionis, Brayden Burries, Myles Turner, and Nate Ament have each shown flashes of decent play. Kam Jones is the lone player listed on the injury report and is considered questionable with an ankle sprain.
Taylor Jenkins’ squad is averaging 111.1 points per game, which ranks 20th in the league. The Bucks also rank 24th in offensive rating, 25th in field-goal percentage, and 20th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 124.1 points per game against Milwaukee, which ranks 28th in the league. Milwaukee also ranks 26th in defensive rating, 20th in opponents’ field-goal percentage, and 14th in opponents’ three-point percentage.
The Boston Celtics have kicked off the season by winning five of their opening seven games and currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference. They have defeated the Knicks, the Bulls twice, the Nets, and the Magic while dropping a pair of games against the Pistons and Rockets. Boston has gone 3-4 against the spread, and the game total is 2-5 to the over/under.
Jayson Tatum has been ruled out for tonight’s matchup due to rest. With the organization having moved on from Jaylen Brown, Tatum has headlined the production and is posting averages of 27.0 points, 7.9 assists, and 6.0 rebounds through the opening seven games he has played. Devin Carter will also miss tonight’s game, while Chris Cenac Jr., Dillon Mitchell, and Payton Pritchard are each listed as questionable.
Without Tatum, Paul George will see more offensive responsibility following an encouraging start to the year. The nine-time All-Star is posting averages of 20.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists across his first six games with the franchise. Payton Pritchard is contributing 13.4 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds, while Derrick White is the lone other player to average in double figures with 11.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.1 rebounds of his own. Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson serve as the primary big-man options, combining for 9.9 rebounds per game, while Sam Hauser, Luka Garza, and Jordan Walsh also play notable roles.
The Celtics are scoring 115.0 points per game to start the year, which ranks 13th in the NBA. They also rank sixth in offensive rating, 18th in field-goal percentage, and 17th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are being limited to 109.1 points per game, which is the 10th-best rate in the league. Boston also ranks 12th in defensive rating, ninth in opponents’ field-goal percentage, and 12th in opponents’ three-point percentage.
Bucks vs. Celtics Pick, Best Bet
There is not much debate about the Celtics being the more talented team and having a much more promising outlook on the year. But the absence of Tatum changes the calculations of this matchup quite a bit. Boston has a defined system built around spacing the floor and allowing its primary creator to attack the basket and kick to shooters when the defense collapses. But Tatum is the clear headliner in this attack and is posting a career-high 7.9 assists as a result.
This will be the first look at the Celtics without Tatum this year, and there is fair reason for concern. In past years, Jaylen Brown was tasked with increasing his offensive output without his fellow All-Star, but tasking 36-year-old Paul George with this primary responsibility is no guarantee. There have been some major positive signs from George in the co-star role, but asking him to step into the spotlight is an entirely different matter. Boston will also need Pritchard to scale up his offensive impact, but the Oregon product is considered questionable with a shoulder injury, and he has shot 0-for-12 from beyond the three-point arc across the two games since the injury occurred.
While this is not a good Bucks team by any means, there is legitimate NBA talent on the roster, and they play with an admirable, youthful spunk. They just missed covering the 11.5-point spread against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the previous game and managed to pull off an outright upset over the Pacers and cover the 13.5-point number against the 76ers earlier in the season.
It is difficult to see the pathway to the Celtics putting forth an impressive enough scoring effort to put this Bucks team away, and I like the undermanned Milwaukee squad to hang around with its Eastern Conference rival. Expect there to be quite a few growing pains in the Boston attack due to the absence of Tatum and the lack of true creators without him on the floor. Buckle up for an ugly matchup in which points are not easy to come by and for the 11.5-point margin to be too significant to separate these teams.
