It’s the second leg of these two teams’ back-to-back match-ups this week. Thursday went down-the-wire so we ought to get pumped again.
Catch the game tomorrow, Saturday, at 7:30 AM, Manila time.
HOME TEAM: Milwaukee Bucks (29-14, 18-5 at home)
Projected Starting Five
- PG – Jrue Holiday
- SG – Donte DiVincenzo
- SF – Khris Middleton
- PF – Giannis Antetokounmpo
- C – Brook Lopez
The rampaging Bucks pushed their winning streak to eight on Thursday with their thrilling 121-119 victory over the Celtics, which tied the season series at one game apiece.
It’s also their 13th win in 14 games, so they’re in their rhythm from the last two regular seasons. While it’s great and all, though, they should hope to be more focused this time as they almost blew a 25-point lead.
Giannis Antetokounmpo only went 4-for-11 from the field for 13 points, but Khris Middleton picked up the slack by scoring 27 and hauling in 13 rebounds. Bobby Portis also came off the bench to contribute a season-high-tying 21 points, a great follow-up to his double-double of 18 points and 10 boards in the previous game.
The Bucks are the number one scoring team in the league at 120 points per game. They’ve also shot 50% or better four times in their last seven games while also drilling 15.7 threes, so it’s yet another season to ‘fear the deer.’ Milwaukee should be able to continue flexing their offensive repertoire tomorrow.
AWAY TEAM: Boston Celtics (21-23, 8-16 on the road)
Projected Starting Five
- PG – Kemba Walker
- SG – Marcus Smart
- SF – Jaylen Brown
- PF – Jayson Tatum
- C – Tristan Thompson
The made some much-needed changes in the trade deadline. They acquired sweet-shooting swingman Evan Fournier from the Orlando Magic for two second-round picks and stretch forward Mo Wagner from the Washington Wizards, which saw them unload their starting big man Daniel Theis, among others. It’s not likely that the they’ll be available tomorrow, though.
The trades were expected as the Celtics have slumped below .500. They have been hot-and-cold all season and have been looking worse over the past week or so. They are just 1-5 in their last six games.
Leading scorer Jayson Tatum had a tough night on the floor during Thursday’s loss. He had a decent 18-point night but went just 3-for-10 in the second half. Marcus Smart was in the same vein. While he was solid on defense, he bricked a lot yet again as he was just 3-for-13 (2-for-10 from three).
Fortunately, other key scorers Kemba Walker (23 points, 6 assists) and Jaylen Brown (27 points, 10/16 FGs) were on point. Brown, in particular, made key baskets and plays that almost completed the comeback. “Almost” doesn’t cut it, of course, and tomorrow will be another grind.
Boston is scoring 112 PPG and allowing 115 PPG in its current 1-5 stretch.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread:
The Bucks are just 3-4 ATS at home in their last seven games, but the Celtics are much worse as they are 2-9 on the ATS over their last 11 outings. Giannis and company should be able to cover the -5.5 spread.
Over/Under:
The back-half of consecutive meetings are usually low-scoring or lower than the previous game. Go with the under 233.
