Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks Picks and Predictions Dec 13

Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks Betting Preview

WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks betting preview for Monday, December 13. At the time of posting, the Bucks have climbed to a 1-point road favorite in Boston, with the total sitting at 220.5 points.

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Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks Predictions

• Milwaukee Bucks -1 at Boston Celtics
• Total: 220.5 Points
• Boston has covered the spread in six of the last seven meetings in this series.

The 18-10 Bucks play the second game of a road back-to-back in Boston against the 13-14 Celtics at TD Garden. The Bucks trampled the Knicks Sunday afternoon and won by the final score of 112-97. After a horrendous 1-4 West Coast road trip the Celtics must be happy to be home, but can’t be happy with the opponent. The Celtics won the first meeting with the Bucks 122-113, however the Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kris Middleton and it took overtime to get the job done.

The Celtics definitely don’t look like a team that is on Milwaukees level as they have lost 3 in row as well as 4 of their last 5. Boston has struggled on both sides of the ball recently as they have clearly missed Jaylen Brown in their last 5 games. While the Celts have averaged 108 points a game on the season, they have averaged only 101 points over their last 3 games. Boston has also allowed 111-plus points in their last 5 games while ranking 10th in defensive rating on the season

As usual Jayson Tatum lead the Celtics in scoring with 24 points in their last game in Phoenix. However, the team shot horribly from the field at 37.6% and they were a pathetic 15.4% from beyond the arc. While the Celtics have looked absolutely awful, you can’t gloss over the fact that this was the hardest part of their schedule. It sounds as though Jaylen Brown will be returning for this game and not a moment to soon. As the Celts need to turn things around at home as soon as possible, if not a shake up may be in order.

The Milwaukee Bucks are starting to come together and claim their spot as on of the top teams in the NBA. Milwaukee is destroying opponents on the glass which has led to additional possessions, as they continue to feed the “Greek Freak”. They have managed to tread water due to Antetokounmpo’s dominance on both sides of the ball. The Big 3 of Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday have been relatively healthy the past few weeks. Their lone loss this season as a trio was a December 8th debacle against an injury depleted Heat team that couldn’t miss from three-point land.

The Bucks are top ten in both offensive and defensive ratings, as they rank 6th and 7th in the league respectively. Giannis Antetokounmpo could become the first player in history to average 25+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists in three different seasons.

While the Bucks have flourished recently overall, they are only 1-5 against the spread in their last 6 games. Meanwhile the Celtics are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 home games. The Celtics are in such poor form that I simply can’t back them against a team of Milwaukees caliber. However, I could also see the Celtics rallying at home after a brutal road trip as Jaylen Brown returns. I also don’t trust that the Bucks won’t rest some of the Big 3 on the second game of a back-to-back.

The over has cashed in 6 of the Bucks last 8, as well as 6 the Celtics last 7. Opponents are scoring 117.8 points a game against Boston over their last 5 games. The addition of Brown could give a tremendous boost to the Celtics offense. Milwaukee is currently favored by a point with a total set at 218.5. I’m going to roll with the over in this one. Last time these teams met the final was 122-113. While it was an overtime game, they had scored 216 in regulation without Antetokounmpo and Middleton and the Celtics were playing far better defense.

Official Play: OVER 218.5

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Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks Analysis from The GoldSheet

Normally might figure Boston glad to be back home after playing 7 of their last 8 on the road, but this isn’t a friendly homestand, with the Bucks up now, then Golden State and New York back-to-back followed by Philadelphia and surprisingly feisty Cleveland. Boston has covered 6 of the last 7 against the Bucks, including a 122-113 victory over Milwaukee in Beantown about a month ago. That was also the Celtics’ 3rd SU win in the series in the last 4 meetings, and G Jaylen Brown is set to return in this one after missing the team’s last 5 with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile the Bucks are coming off a nice satisfying win in New York against the Knicks last night. Play the Over.

Monday’s NBA Stat Sheet

Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Click here to download Monday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks contest.

NBA Tip-Off Show

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