Boston Celtics (40-20) at Milwaukee Bucks (26-33)
Monday, March 2, 2026
7:30 PM ET
TV: NBA-TV, NBCSB, FDSWI
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WTMJ (103..3), Sirius XM
Regular Season Game #61, Road Game #32
Fiserv Forum
The Celtics visit the Milwaukee Bucks for the third of 4 games between these two teams this season. The Bucks won 116-101 in Milwaukee on December11 and the Celtics won 107-79 in Boston on February 1. They will play their final game in Milwaukee on April 13. Due to the in-season tournament, they
face the anomaly of playing 3 times in Milwaukee and just once in Boston.
The Celtics won the series 3-0 last season. They are 122-113 overall all time against the Bucks and they are 44-73 against the Bucks all time in games played in Milwaukee. Both teams are playing in the second of back to back games. The Bucks played in Chicago on Sunday while the Celtics played at home against the 76ers on Sunday.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 5.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York , 3 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 5 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, 7 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 8.5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 26-13 against Eastern Conference opponents and 8-5 against the Atlantic Division. They are 20-11 home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.
The Bucks are 11th in the East, 19 games behind 1st place Detroit, 5 games behind 7th place Orlando and 8th place Miami, 3.5 games behind 9th place Atlanta 3 games behind 10th place Charlotte. They are 2 games ahead of 12th place Chicago. They are 19-21 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 14-14 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last 2 games.
After this game at Milwaukee, the Celtics are back home for games against Charlotte and Dallas before a tough 3 game road trip through Cleveland, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. Then they host Washington, Phoenix and Golden State. Next, it is one game at Memphis before a 3 game home stand against Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Atlanta.
For Milwaukee, this is the first game of a 5 game home stand. After the Celtics, they will host Atlanta, Utah, Orlando and Phoenix. Then they are on the road for games at Miami and Atlanta before hosting Indiana and Cleveland. Next they have a 4 game western road trip through Utah, Phoenix, the LA Clippers, and Portland before returning home to host San Antonio, the Clippers and Dallas.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum has been ruled out for this game but may be close to a return. Jaylen Brown (illness) and Neemias Queta (rest) were late scratches for this game and will be out. I’m taking a wild guess that Hugo Gonzalez and Luka Garza start in their places. For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed the last 16 games but has been cleared to play in this game. Taurean Prince is out after having neck surgery. Thanasis Antetokounmpo is questionable due to an illness.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Ryan Rollins
SG: Baylor Scheierman vs Kevin Porter, Jr
SF: Jaylen Brown vs Kyle Kuzma
PF: Sam Hauser vs Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Luka Garza vs Myles Turner
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Nikola Vucevic
Jordan Walsh
2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
John Tonje
Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Jaylen Brown (illness) out
Neemias Queta (rest) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Bucks Reserves
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Ousmane Dieng
Gary Harris
Andre Jackson, Jr
Bobby Portis, Jr
Cormac Ryan
Jericho Sims
Cam Thomas
Gary Trent, Jr
Two-Way Players
Alex Antetokounmpo
Pete Nance
Injuries/Out
Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) available
Taurean Prince (neck) out
Thanasis Antetokounmpo (illness) questionable
Head Coach
Doc Rivers
Key Matchups
Baylor Scheierman vs Kevin Porter, Jr.
Porter is averaging 18.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He is shooting 46.9% from the field and 32.8% from beyond the arc. He didn’t play in the February 1 game against Boston and finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists and 1 steal while shooting 60% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc on December 11. They need to be aware of him in the passing lanes as he is a threat to steal the ball.
Sam Hauser vs Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while shooting 64.5% from the field and 39.5% from beyond the arc. He missed both of the games between these teams so far this season. He has been out for 5 weeks so he may be a bit rusty but regardless, he makes them tougher to beat. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Joe start double bigs this game to counter the Bucks’ double bigs.
Honorable Mention
Derrick White vs Ryan Rollins
Rollins is averaging 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 47.1% from the field and 41.8% from beyond the arc. In the 2 games against the Celtics this season he averaged 17.5 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 51.3% from the field and 62.5% from beyond the arc. Rollins is a good 3 point shooter and so the Celtics need to defend him on the perimeter.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the biggest key to winning. Defense really does win championships. The Celtics are 7th with a defensive rating of 112.1 The Bucks are 24th with a defensive rating of 116.7. In the first game between these two games the Celtics allowed the Bucks to shoot 58.2% from the field and 44.8% from beyond the arc. The Celtics must work harder on defense in this one and keep their focus on the defensive end so as not to allow any easy baskets for the Bucks. They especially need to defend the perimeter as the Bucks are 2nd in the league shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc as a team.
Rebound – Next to defense, rebounding is always a big key to winning. As Pat Riley once said, “No rebounds, no rings.” The key to rebounding is effort and focus. The Celtics are 30-8 in games that they tie or out-rebound opponents. They are just 9-12 in games tin which they are out-rebounded. The Bucks are 27th with 41.1 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 7th with 45.8 rebounds per game. The Celtics have to fight to beat the Bucks to rebounds.
Don’t Underestimate the Bucks – The Bucks do not have their best player and often the Celtics relax and understimate short handed teams. However, the Bucks are still a rival in the Eastern Conference that can play hard. The Celtics have to give max effort on the boards and on defense and they have to give that effort for the entire game and not just 1 or 2 quarters.
3 Point Shooting – The Celtics are 3rd in the league, averaging 42.2 three pointers per game. They are shooting 36.5% as a team from beyond the arc. The Bucks are 13th, averaging 37.7 threes a game and they are 2nd in the league shooting 39.1% on threes as a team. The Celtics make 15.4 threes a game while the Bucks make 14.7 thees a game. The Celtics need to work to get open and move the ball to find the best shots. If the 3’s aren’t falling, they need to take the ball inside. And they need to defend the perimeter or the Bucks will bury them in 3s.
X-Factors
Back to Back On the Road – The Celtics are on the road and so will have the distractions of travel, staying in hotels, and playing in front of a hostile crowd. They need to stay focused and not allow any of those distractions to take away from playing their game. Both teams are playing on the second night of back to back games and so fatigue may factor in for both teams. Historically, the Celtics are just 44-73 in Milwaukee. They need to stay focused and play hard and not let up.
Coaching – Doc Rivers coached the Celtics from 2004 until 2013 and quit when the Celtics traded Pierce and Garnett to start a rebuild. The Celtics had a relatively short rebuild and have been largely successful since he left. Doc has struggled in each of his stops with the Clippers, 76ers and now the Bucks. Doc would love nothing more than to beat his former team while Joe just wants to beat everybody, no matter who they are.
Officiating – The officiating can always be an x-factor. Some referees call the game tight and others let them play. Some favor the home team and others call it evenly. Some refs just seem to have an agenda that doesn’t fit the play on the court. And sometimes the refs are simply bad. The Celtics have to play through however the refs call the game, whether it is tight or they let them play or they make terrible calls. The Celtics can’t allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus on the game.
