Who’s Playing

Boston Celtics @ Milwaukee Bucks

Current Records: Boston 29-8, Milwaukee 25-12

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What to Know

Two dominant forwards in Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. Having just played yesterday, the Boston Celtics will head out on the road to face off against the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m. ET on January 11th at Fiserv Forum. The Bucks took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on the Celtics, who come in off a win.

It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but the Celtics ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They walked away with a 127-120 victory over Minnesota.

The Celtics can attribute much of their success to Tatum, who went 6 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 45 points and 2 assists, and Jaylen Brown, who shot 4-for-7 from deep and dropped a double-double on 35 points and 11 rebounds. The match was Tatum’s fourth in a row with at least 30 points.

Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored the Bucks last Monday, but the final result did not. The game between Milwaukee and Utah wasn’t a total blowout, but with Milwaukee falling 132-116 at home it was darn close to turning into one. The oddsmakers set the bar high with a 242-point over/under, but they still managed to beat it.

Despite their loss, the Bucks saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Khris Middleton, who scored 23 points along with eight assists, was perhaps the best of all.

Boston pushed their record up to 29-8 with that victory, which was their 18th straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 123.3 points per game. As for Milwaukee, they have not been sharp recently, as they’ve lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 25-12 record this season.

Thursday’s match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: The Celtics just can’t miss this season, having made 48.2% of their shots per game. However, it’s not like the Bucks (currently ranked third in field goal percentage per game) struggle in that department as they’ve made 49.8% of their shots per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

The Celtics are hoping to beat the odds on Thursday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, keep Boston’s opponent in mind: they have a solid 8-2 record against the spread vs Milwaukee over their last ten matchups.

Odds

Milwaukee is a 5-point favorite against Boston, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bucks as a 6-point favorite.

The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 243 points.

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Series History

Boston has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Milwaukee.

• 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
• May 03, 2022 – Boston 109 vs. Milwaukee 86