Free NBA Pick: Celtics vs. Bucks NBA Odds
Looking for Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks free NBA picks & NBA Odds? NBA betting sees the Celtics taking on the Bucks on Monday, May 9th, 2022 at Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Celtics Bucks matchup.
2022 NBA Playoffs Handicapping Round 2
(1-2) Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks (2-1)
Date: Monday, May 9th
Time: 7:30 PM (ET)
Venue: Fiserv Forum Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
NBA Moneyline Odds: Celtics -101 | Bucks -103 (Bet Now!)
NBA Betting Odds: Bucks -1
NBA Betting Total: 212
The first-round series between the two-seeded Boston Celtics and third-seed Milwaukee Bucks continues on Monday, May 9th, with the defending champions ahead 2-1 after a close 103-101 victory in Game 3.
The teams split the 2021-22 season series 2-2. Boston holds the all-time advantage having won 114 times of the club’s 223 regular-season meetings.
This is the seventh occasion these clubs have met in the postseason with the Celtics also owning the advantage of winning five series although the Bucks took their last meeting in 2019 winning 4-1 in the semi-finals.
Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum had a tough Saturday afternoon at the office shooting 4 of 19 from the field and 0 of 6 from deep finishing with a meager 10 points. The Celtics star struggled elsewhere too collecting a single rebound, three assists, a steal, and four blocks.
Bucks guard Wesley Matthews had the primary defensive task against Tatum and while he was highly effective it was also just an off game for Tatum.
Jaylen Brown (27 points, 12 rebounds) and Al Horford (22 points, 15 rebounds) both notched double-doubles. Derrick White and Robert Williams III were the other double-figure contributors with 14 and 10 points respectively.
At game end, the Celtics came close to sending the game into overtime when Marcus Smart purposely missed his second free throw and the Celtics had three attempts at tying the game but Horford’s putback came off his hand after the buzzer.
Post-game Celtics coach Ime Udoka was emphatic in his gaslighting stating Smart should have gotten three free throws and was already in motion to take the shot when the call was made.
Even casual fans know that take was wrong as Smart hadn’t even squared himself toward the rim and he only tried to make it look like he was shooting after the whistle was blown.
Sam Hauser (shoulder) is day-to-day.
Milwaukee Bucks
If there was any doubt about who is the best player in the NBA Giannis Antetokounmpo served up a performance that should erase any questions on the subject.
The superstar delivered a 42-point, 12 rebound double-double with eight assists, two steals, and two blocks in a dominant performance where no one was capable of stopping him.
The initial two matches witnessed Antetokounmpo shoot 36% and 40.7% compared to Game 3 when he shot 62.5% which was much more in line with his seasonal average (55.3%).
Brook Lopez also registered a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds although he navigated foul trouble throughout the match.
Milwaukee also got strong contributions from Jrue Holiday who offered 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals while Pat Connaughton added 11 points and as noted Wes Matthews was stellar defensively.
Khris Middleton (knee) is out indefinitely.
NBA Betting Trends:
- Boston is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games.
- Milwaukee is 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston’s last 6 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Milwaukee’s last 8 games.
- Celtics are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog.
- Bucks are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as a favorite.
Free Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks NBA Prediction
Boston had a major advantage at the charity stripe in Game 3, getting 34 free throws compared to just 17 to the home town Bucks. The surprising factor was how close Boston was to winning this game given the numerous categories the Bucks won.
Milwaukee took the battle of the glass (53-47), won paint scoring by 20 points (52-32), and fast break scoring 21 to 11. But perhaps the biggest shift between the games in Boston versus Game 3 was the perimeter.
Boston shot 36 percent in Game 1 and 46.5 percent in Game 2 from the perimeter, but in Milwaukee they shot 27.3 percent on 9 of 33 from deep.
This is by far the closest series of the four remaining with either team capable of winning and at this point seeming to be the favorite to win the Eastern Conference.
Based on how competitive this series has been it feels like Tatum will bounce back and that should lead to the series being knotted as the clubs head back to Boston.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Celtics+1
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