Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Preview & Game Thread: Two teams rowing in different directions

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 02: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics dribbles the ball against Ousmane Dieng #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the fourth quarter at Fiserv Forum on March 02, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloadin

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What is the story about?

Following their inspired effort against the Rockets, the Milwaukee Bucks face the red-hot Boston Celtics tonight as they try to replicate that effort. As fans, that’s really all we can ask for at this point in the season. Play hard, play together, and let the chips fall where they may.

Where We’re At

Look, the Bucks have lost a bunch of games recently, but as I alluded to in the intro, that Houston game should be what the team aims to be going forward. Play with purpose and confidence as a unit, and you can be proud

of your game, whatever the result is. We just saw career highs from Ousmane Dieng, Pete Nance, and the newly signed Cormac Ryan. Ryan, in particular, is a guy I’d like to see play 25-30 minutes per game from here on out; they need to determine whether the shooting is real, and they’re running out of time to do that.

With Jayson Tatum now back in the fold and getting more and more comfortable, the Celtics may just be the odds-on favorite to get out of the East and into the NBA Finals, which is crazy to say when you consider that this year was considered to be a “gap year” for them. As a Bucks fan, I hate to say it, but this Celtics organization just oozes competence at every level. For instance, they grab castaways from other teams and morph them into serviceable role players, such as Luka Garza and Neemias Queta. Obviously, they are extremely well-coached too. This could be a rough one for Milwaukee.

Injury Report

For the Bucks, Giannis (knee), Kevin Porter Jr. (knee), and Bobby Portis (wrist) are out. Gary Trent Jr. (hip) and Thanasis (calf) are questionable, while Ryan Rollins (hip flexor) and Jericho Sims (knee) are both probable. For the Celtics, Nikola Vucevic (finger) is out.

Player to Watch

Let’s go with Jayson Tatum. Tatum has shot ineffectively since returning (40.2%), but his minutes are ramping up, and by all accounts, his movement has been very encouraging as of late. Tonight should be a good chance for him to test some stuff out against lesser competition (sorry, Bucks), so he’ll be a good one to monitor.