3rd Quarter Report
Only one more quarter stands between the Celtics and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Bucks 101-83.
The Celtics entered the match having won six straight and they’re just one quarter away from another. Will they make it seven, or will the Bucks step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics
Current Records: Milwaukee 44-24, Boston 54-14
How To Watch
- When: Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: TD Garden — Boston, Massachusetts
- TV: ESPN
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $95.49
What to Know
The Bucks have enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they’ll head out on the road. They will challenge the Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday at TD Garden. The Bucks pulled off an upset win in their last outing, and are hoping to pull that off once more against the 8-point favorite Celtics.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you drain ten more threes than your opponent, a fact the Bucks proved on Sunday. They walked away with a 140-129 victory over Phoenix.
The Bucks relied on the efforts of Bobby Portis, who shot 5-for-5 from beyond the arc and dropped a double-double on 31 points and ten rebounds, and Damian Lillard, who dropped a double-double on 31 points and 16 assists. Portis didn’t help the Bucks’ cause all that much against the 76ers on Thursday but the same can’t be said for this match.
Meanwhile, the Celtics came tearing into Monday’s matchup with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against Detroit as Boston made off with a 119-94 victory. The Celtics were heavily favored coming into this matchup, and the results showcase why.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead the Celtics to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jaylen Brown, who scored 31 points along with seven rebounds. Brown has been hot recently, having posted 27 or more points the last five times he’s played. Another player making a difference was Derrick White, who dropped a triple-double on 22 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists.
Milwaukee has been performing well recently as they’ve won nine of their last 12 games, which provided a nice bump to their 44-24 record this season. As for Boston, their victory was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 54-14.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Bucks haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 12.1 turnovers per game. However, it’s not like the Celtics (currently ranked second in turnovers per game) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging only 11.5 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went the Bucks’ way against the Celtics in their previous matchup back in January as the Bucks made off with a 135-102 victory. With the Bucks ahead 75-38 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Odds
Boston is a big 8-point favorite against Milwaukee, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Celtics, as the game opened with the Celtics as a 6.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 225.5 points.
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Series History
Boston has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Milwaukee.
- Jan 11, 2024 – Milwaukee 135 vs. Boston 102
- Nov 22, 2023 – Boston 119 vs. Milwaukee 116
- Mar 30, 2023 – Boston 140 vs. Milwaukee 99
- Feb 14, 2023 – Milwaukee 131 vs. Boston 125
- Dec 25, 2022 – Boston 139 vs. Milwaukee 118
- May 15, 2022 – Boston 109 vs. Milwaukee 81
- May 13, 2022 – Boston 108 vs. Milwaukee 95
- May 11, 2022 – Milwaukee 110 vs. Boston 107
- May 09, 2022 – Boston 116 vs. Milwaukee 108
- May 07, 2022 – Milwaukee 103 vs. Boston 101
