The Eastern Conference top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks looked dominant in their first-round sweep of the Detroit Pistons. However, they got a major wake-up call in a Game 1 semifinal loss to the Boston Celtics. The Bucks are favored on the NBA betting lines to even things up Tuesday night.
How to Bet Celtics vs Bucks 2019 NBA Playoffs Odds & Game 2 Info
can never have too many Horford highlights 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dujdo7JOI5
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) 29 de abril de 2019
- When: Tuesday, 8 PM ET
- Where: Fiserv Forum
- TV: TNT
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- Radio: BMO Network
- 2019 NBA Playoffs Odds: Milwaukee Bucks -7.5 (Total 219.5)
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Why Bet on Boston?
The Celtics ran away from the Bucks with a 112-90 win in Game 1. Kyrie Irving recorded his 1st career playoff game with at least 25 points and 10 assists, finishing tallying 26 points, 11 assists, seven assists, two 3-pointers and four turnovers across 33 minutes. Irving came out aggressively looking for his shot and he generally got whatever he wanted throughout the game.
Al Horford notched a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double along with three 3-pointers, three assists, three blocks and one steal in 32 minutes. Horford was lethal running the pick-and-pop with Irving, and he also did a phenomenal job on the defensive side of the ball, at one point swatting away Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shot on back-to-back possessions. Antetokounmpo was 2-for-10 when guarded by Al Horford and Aron Baynes. Giannis also shot just 4-for-15 in the paint.
Boston entered the game with a clear game plan, whether Horford was on the court to guard him or not: Pack the paint, and force him to settle for jumpers. Antetokounmpo responded by going 3-for-5 from 3-point range, tying his season high for makes in a game.
“We’ve said all year you can’t overstate Al Horford’s importance to our team,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “The numbers back that up.”
Jaylen Brown also played a huge role in Boston’s stellar defensive effort and finished with 19 points, four rebounds, three 3-pointers and one turnover in 36 minutes. Baynes exited Sunday’s win after tweaking his left ankle and did not return. Baynes tweaked his left ankle late in the game, and while he was available to return, he didn’t get back out there with Boston blowing out Milwaukee. He should play on Tuesday. Marcus Morris replaced Baynes in the starting lineup for Game 1 and finished with nine points, seven rebounds, one 3-pointer, one assist, and three blocks.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 111.78
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.49
- Three-Point Percentage: 36.67
- Free Throw Percentage: 79.92
- Total Rebounds: 44.78
Defense
- Total Score: 107.00
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.53
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.30
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.00
- Total Rebounds: 45.60
Why Bet on Milwaukee?
The Bucks lost Game 1 by 22 points to the Celtics. Since the current playoff format was instituted in 1984, that’s the 3rd-largest Game 1 loss by a No. 1 seed. It’s the largest since the Trail Blazers lost to the Bulls in the 1992 NBA Finals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled with his shot during the loss, going 7-of-21 from the field and 5-of-10 from the line for 22 points over 34 minutes. The Celtics did a really nice job of keeping their turnovers to a minimum, thus limiting the Bucks’ fast-break opportunities and taking away a huge part of Giannis’ game; Boston also gave Milwaukee some trouble with their 2-3 zone defense. Antetokounmpo added eight boards, three triples, two assists, one block, and two turnovers.
“They were loading [the paint] a lot,” Antetokounmpo said. “Lots of guys in the paint. Whenever I got in the paint, when I spin or try and change direction, the second guy was right there.”
The Celtics outscored the Bucks by 24 points when he the Greek Freak was on the court, tied for the worst plus-minus of his playoff career (Game 6 at Toronto in the 2017 first round). Antetokounmpo has averaged 30 PPG and 10 RPG against the Celtics in each of the last two regular seasons. Over the last 25 seasons, only one other player (min. 3 GP vs BOS) has accomplished that feat – Alonzo Mourning in 1995-96.
Khris Middleton, who kept the Bucks in the game early, finished with 16 points. But Brook Lopez, who earned the nickname “Splash Mountain” for his ability to hit deep 3s, had just three points in the game. He was 1-of-4 from beyond the arc. Eric Bledsoe had just six points in 25 minutes.
Sterling Brown was forced out of Sunday’s after 22 minutes with back spasms and he did not return. Brown wasn’t great while he was out there, finishing with just one 3-pointer, three rebounds and one turnover on 1-of-7 shooting. He was deemed “questionable to return” by the Bucks medical staff, but the Milwaukee getting blown out, there wasn’t much incentive for him to get back out there.
Malcolm Brogdon (right foot) is progressing well in his rehab but is still set to miss the first two games against the Celtics before being reevaluated. Coach Mike Budenholzer said that Brogdon has been doing some 5-on-5 work, but that he still needs to do more before being cleared to return.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 117.97
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.58
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.30
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.01
- Total Rebounds: 49.85
Defense
- Total Score: 108.77
- Field Goal Percentage: 43.21
- Three-Point Percentage: 36.01
- Free Throw Percentage: 73.25
- Total Rebounds: 45.22
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Celtics vs Bucks 2019 NBA Playoffs Betting Trends
- Favorite is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings
- Over is 14-6-1 in the last 21 meetings
- Celtics are 10-3 ATS in the last 13 meetings in Milwaukee
- Celtics are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 5 games
- Bucks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games
- Bucks are 15-5 SU in their last 20 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee’s last 5 games against an opponent in the Atlantic division
Expert Final Score Prediction for Celtics vs Bucks
Boston Celtics 107 – Milwaukee Bucks 112
