Game Time: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, May 2nd, 2022 

Venue:    TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

Where to Watch: TNT

DraftKings:  Celtics -4.5; O/U 215.5

Fanduel:  Celtics -4; O/U 215

BetMGM: Celtics -4.5; O/U 214.5

Bucks: 51-31, 3rd place Eastern Conference

Celtics: 51-31, 2nd place Eastern Conference

An NBA second round Playoff matchup with a fair amount of tension.  The Milwaukee Bucks walked onto the Boston Celtics home floor and got the win in Game 1.  That means the Bucks took home court advantage.  That is big when trying to decide a series in the NBA. If the Bucks get Game 2 as well.. The Celtics will be behind the 8-ball in a bad way.  The Celtics shouldn’t panic… NBA history is littered with examples of a team dropping Game 1 of a series and still winning… but going down 0-2, on your home floor, the percentages jump to a very slim chance of getting the series.  A bonus for the Bucks is in the last 4 games without multiple all-star SF Khris Middleton (out with injury)... the Bucks have won all four games by double digits. Khris “Mr. Invisible” Middleton has not been the cause of any hardship since being out.  The Celtics on the other hand watched as PG Marcus Smart took stingers to his shoulder, knees, thigh… he just got smacked around and came out limping valiantly.  How will these roster hold up for the entire series may just decide everything.

The Milwaukee Bucks have won 8 of their last ten games, including the last 4 regular season games.  They went 6-4 ATS during that stretch.  They were favored in every game except Game 1 against the Celtics…. Insanely the Celtics are favored again for Game 2!  The win was Bucks 101 - Celtics 89. It featured an amazing postseason triple-double for PF Giannis Antekounmpo with 24 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 blocks.  Those two blocks were emphatic blocks as well.  Giannis is the best player in basketball… He is last season’s Finals winner and Finals MVP.  Giannis made it rather easy for PG Jrue Holiday to land 25 points… SFG Grayson Allen and Pat Connaugthonn combined for 19 points… and in a severely low scoring UNDER.. That was enough as long as they got the occasional bucket from guys like Portis, Matthews, and Lopez.  The Bucks defense did the job.

The Boston Celtics should be embarrassed.  Their first round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets was a coming out party of epic proportions.  They handedly handled PG Kyrie Irving and SF Kevin Durant in that series… Too bad Giannis of the Bucks seems to be an entirely different kind of all-star indeed.  The Celtics have won 8 of their last 10 games.  They went 7-3 ATS during that stretch.  In the first game of this series they lost, lost ATS, and logged an UNDER.  It was the Celtics defense that was heralded… and they did a great job!  They held last season’s champs to 101 points…. The offense was nowhere to be found, however. SF Jayson Tatum, who is often touted as the next Kevin Durant type of player, had 24 points… No one else on the squad had more than 12 points. Of the top 4 scorers in the series so far… THREE are Milwaukee Bucks. SG Jaylen Brown and PF Al Horford each had 12 points… but each needs more in Game 2.  12 points from Jaylen Brown is a crime against everything Irish and green.   Back-up SG Derrick White did not play enough… He had 10 points in 16 minutes while going 2 of 3 from the 3-point line.  The entire tale of the tape for the Celtics offense may be found in the FG% which was 33% while the team went 28 of 84.  That can not happen.  The Celtics missed 32 3-pointers in the game… many of those shots should have instead been drives to the lane to force Giannis and Lopez into foul trouble.  You can’t sit back all game and keep missing shots.  The Celtics need to take the action right to the heart of the Bucks.

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Milwaukee is 56-32 on the season, but 43-45 ATS.  They have logged 43 Overs, and 45 Unders.  They are 27-17 in road games.

The Celtics are 55-32 on the season, but 48-38-1 ATS.  They have notched 42 Overs, 43 Unders, and 2 Push.  They are 30-14 in home games.

The Bucks are 3rd in scoring with 115.5 ppg, 2nd in rebounds with 46.7 per game, and 15th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8.  On defense they rank 19th with 112.1 from opponents.

The Celtics are 12th in scoring with 111.8 ppg, 5th in rebounds with 46.1 per game, and 11th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8.  On defense they rank FIRST while holding opponents to 104.5 ppg from opponents.

Our prediction for Tuesday, May 3rd is….. Celtics 108 - Bucks 107

This is a bet for the Bucks.  Vegas in all their wisdom has given us -4.5 points to put in our pocket if we bet on the Bucks… The Bucks just won Game 1 on the road by 12 POINTS!  Tackle the points, take the money.  Yes, the Celtics will not shoot as badly as they did in the last game… but they need a 16.5 point swing to make up for it and cover this game.  If all things are equal I will take points AND expect an ATS win. No matter who ends up in the win column.

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Boston is 29 Under and 14 Over (+13.6 units) as a favorite of 3.5 to 9 points this season.

Boston is 9-1 ATS versus Milwaukee over the last 3 seasons.

Milwaukee is 0 Over and 6 Under in all playoff games this season.

 Boston is 9-0 this season after scoring 95 points or less this season.

Bucks: SF Khris Middleton (knee) Out ** PG George Hill (abs) Out indefinitely

Celtics: No injuries reported… but PG Marcus Smart limped through today’s walk-through.

Bucks: SF Bobby Portis, PF Giannis Antetokounmpo, C Brook Lopez, PG JRue Holiday, SG Wesley Matthews

Celtics: SF Jayson Tatum, PF Al Horford, C Robert Williams III, SG Jaylen Brown, PG Marcus Smart

Bucks: Mike Budenholzer

Celtics: Ime Udoka