Bucks (11-10) at Celtics (18-4) Game #23 12/6/24 Untitled

The Celtics host the Milwaukee Bucks as they look to sweep the season series from them.

The Celtics host the Milwaukee Bucks for the third, and final, game between these two teams this season. The Celtics won both of the previous games, winning 119-108 in Boston on October 28. They also won 113-107 in Milwaukee on November 10. These two teams tied the series 2-2 last season with each team winning their 2 games at home.

The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 1.5 games behind Cleveland and 3 games ahead of Orlando. They are 9-2 at home and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are 16-3 against Eastern Conference opponents. They won 7 straight before a loss to the Cavaliers. They have won their last 2 games. The Cavaliers are in 5th place, 7.5 games out of first place. They are 3-6 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 9-9 against Eastern Conference teams. They had also won 7 games in a row before a loss to the Hawks in their last game.

The Celtics are playing in the 3rd game of a 5 game home stand. The Celtics beat the Heat and the Pistons in the first two games and will host Memphis and Detroit coming up following this one. The Detroit game was added, along with a game at Washington on the 15th after the Celtics failed to advance in the Emirates Cup tournament. After the Wizards, the Celtics will face the Bulls in a home and home series before playing at Orlando.

The Bucks travel to Brooklyn after this game before returning home to face the Orlando Magic in a quarterfinals game for the Emirates NBA Cup. Following that, the semifinals for the Cup will be played in Vegas on December 12-17 and Milwaukee may or may not advance to play there. After the tournament, the Bucks will play at Cleveland on December 20 and then at home vs Washington.

This is the first of back to back games for the Celtics and they will host Marcus Smart and the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday for the 2nd game of the back to back set. The Celtics are 2-2 in the first of back to back games and they are 3-1 when the first game is at home. The Celtics are 120-114 overall all time against the Bucks and they are 76-40 in games that are played in Boston.

Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday both sat our Wednesday’s game against the Pistons. Holiday is no longer on the injury list but Tatum was listed as questionable due to right patella tendinopathy. He has been upgraded to available for this game. Al Horford was questionable for this game due to a sprained left big toe but has also been upgraded to available. Kristaps Porzingis was questionable for this game due to left posterior tibialis tendon injury management and has been ruled out. I expect that Porzingis will play on Saturday vs Memphis while Horford sits out.

For the Bucks, Chris Livingston is dealing with an ankle injury and has been assigned to the G-League and will likely be out. Marjon Beauchamp is questionable and may miss his third straight game due to neck spasms. Giannis Antetokounmpo is probable for this game as he deals with deal with right patella tendinopathy. Khris Middleton is expected to make his season debut in this game after missing the Bucks’ first 21 games while recovering from bilateral ankle surgeries. I’m guessing that he will come off the bench and likely be on a minutes restriction.

Probable Celtics Starters

Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
Sam Hauser

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson

Injuries/Out
Al Horford (toe) available
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) out
Jayson Tatum (knee) available

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Bucks Starters

Bucks Reserves
Pat Connaughton
AJ Green
AJ Johnson
Khris Middleton
Bobby Portis, Jr
Tyler Smith
Gary Trent, Jr
Delon Wright

Two Way Players
Liam Robbins
Ryan Rollins
Stanley Umude

Injuries/Out
Khris Middleton (ankle) probable
Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) probable
MarJon Beauchamp (neck) questionable
Chris Livingston (ankle) questionable

Head Coach
Doc Rivers

Key Matchups

Jaylen Brown vs Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He is shooting 61.6% from the field and 21.4% from beyond the arc. In the first two games against Boston, Antetokounmpo averaged 36.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. He shot 59.2% from the field and 25.3% from beyond the arc. It will likely be defense by committee on Giannis to try to keep him out of the paint and off the boards. It will be important to stay with Giannis and try to limit his scoring and rebounding.

Jrue Holiday vs Damian Lillard
Lillard is averaging 25.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. He is shooting 45.1% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc. In the first 2 games against the Celtics, Lillard averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 36.7% from the field and 18.8% from beyond the arc. This one is personal for Jrue, who was traded away from the Bucks to get Damian Lillard. Lillard may be able to replace Jrue’s offense, but can’t come close to replacing his defense and his intangibles.

Honorable Mention
Kristaps Porzingis vs Brook Lopez
Lopez is averaging 11.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He his shooting 47.4% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, Lopez averaged 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Once again, Porzingis may or may not sit this one out. I’m not sure who will sit and who will fill in if they do.

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the biggest key to winning. Defense really does win championships. The Celtics are 10th with a defensive rating of 110.5. The Bucks are 13th with a defensive rating of 112.4. Against the Pistons, the Celtics allowed them to shoot 51% from the field and also from beyond the arc. The Celtics must defend better than that if they hope to win against the Bucks. The Celtics must work harder than the Bucks on defense and keep their focus on the defensive end so as not to allow any easy baskets for the Bucks.

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. They have been out rebounded in 6 out of 10 games this season. They are 11-0 when they out rebound or are tied with their opponents and just 7-4 when they are out rebounded. The Bucks are 18th with 43.1 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 14th with 43.9 rebounds per game. The Celtics have to fight harder in this game to beat the Bucks to rebounds.

Don’t Underestimate the Bucks – The Bucks did not play well, going just 2-7 to start season. However, they have been playing much better in recent games. Antetokounmpo and Lillard are very dangerous and they have some solid players around them. They also expect to get Middleton back for this game and that will give them a boost. There is a good possibility that the Celtics will see them in the playoffs at some point. 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 2 quarters.

Move the Ball – When the Celtics keep the ball moving both inside out and around the perimeter, they are tough to beat and the offense is dominant. But for some reason, the Celtics go away from that from time to time and there is less movement and more iso play. The Celtics have to keep the ball moving to find the best shot and the open man on every possession. When the ball stops moving, they struggle.

X-Factors
Home Game and Injuries – The Celtics are home once again for the 3rd game of a 5 game home stand. They have the home crowd behind them to give them extra motivation. The Bucks are on the road and have the distractions of travel and a hostile crowd. However, they will be motivated by the return from injury of Khris Middleton. The Celtics need to take advantage of playing at home and play with energy and effort. The Celtics have 3 key players who are questionable and if any or all of them can’t play, then the Celtics task gets tougher and the stay ready players need to step up their games.

Coaching – The Bucks are coached by former Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who quit the Celtics after Pierce and Garnett were traded because he didn’t want to coach a rebuild. Since then, the Celtics have done nothing but win while Doc’s teams have struggled, in spite of the fact that he was coaching several stars at each stop. I’m sure Doc will be extra motivated to beat his former team after losing to them twice already, while Joe Mazzulla will be motivated because he is Psycho Joe and is just extra motivated to win every single game.

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 atrocious. Giannis seems to always get more than his share of calls as he plows through players on his way to the hoop, leaving bodies in his wake. 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.

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