The Milwaukee Bucks do battle with the 5-2 Boston Celtics tonight as they seek their first road victory of the season. On Monday in Minnesota, the Bucks entered the fourth quarter down just four points after a back-and-forth affair, only to see the rim shrink and, once again, go cold to close out the game. Meanwhile, the Celtics were in Houston and lost to the Rockets in a similar fashion, with their offense running out of steam in the fourth. Milwaukee will look to avoid a Beantown beatdown and hope
to see Burries, Jakucionis, and other young Bucks continue to find their stride.
The Task Ahead
Boston was without Paul George Monday evening for a planned rest day, and George is expected back in the lineup, while Jayson Tatum will likely be on the bench for a scheduled rest day himself. In typical Boston fashion, though, they have been a model of consistency with almost any lineup they have thrown out there. The Celtics currently rank 10th in point differential, 13th in Offensive eFG%, and 12th in Defensive eFG%, while playing effective team defense that forces turnovers through help-side rotations. However, when the Celtics struggle, it often happens in the 4th quarter: they are -29 on the season in the final quarter of games, and it nearly cost them in their game against Brooklyn.
For this game, then, it will be about who maximizes their strengths first. Boston runs an effective half-court offence but is 26th in pace; meanwhile, the Bucks, for all their flaws, are fourth in pace. Both teams shoot a lot of three-pointers but are below league average in makes, with the Bucks shooting 33.3% and the Celtics shooting 34.5%. So if the Bucks can get more possessions by winning the offensive glass, they will have a good chance of walking away with an upset win (provided Kyle Kuzma doesn’t have another -22 net rating in 21 minutes of a 12-point loss, of course). This means that Kel’el Ware will need to have his presence felt. The Celtics are a bottom-five team in offensive rebounding; whether that means they aren’t prioritizing the O-boards or don’t have the personnel to get them, Ware has a real opportunity to prove himself as a difference-maker in that area.
Injury Report
Bucks:
- Clean injury report.
Celtics:
- Devin Carter: Out (injury/illness)
- Payton Pritchard: Questionable (right shoulder contusion)
- Jayson Tatum: Questionable (rest)
Player to Watch
Jericho Sims. We saw Sims get his first real minutes against the Wolves, and he was impressive. Was that a blip on the radar, or will we get another impressive performance? Also, the Celtics like to hunt for mismatches, so if the Bucks can deploy a big who has no problems switching, it will do a lot to mitigate that.
Projected Starters
Game Details
Who: Milwaukee Bucks (1-6) vs. Boston Celtics (5-2).
When: 6:30 p.m. CST.
Where: TD Garden—Boston, MA.
Watch: MY24.
Listen: Check local listings.
Prescient Prediction
In his second NBA start, Brayden Burries will find his rhythm and come up in a big way for the Bucks, posting a double-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists!
