Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks will face each other in the deciding match of their Eastern Conference semi-finals tie. The hosts go to this one full of confidence after beating their rivals on the road. The away side wants to bounce back and stay in the championship race.
Boston managed to get away from Milwaukee with a win in Game 6, and they have the opportunity to book the Conference Finals ticket in front of their fans. However, they need to be aware that we saw many away wins in this series. On the other hand, Milwaukee missed the chance to secure its place in the next stage. Therefore, they need to search for a road victory at TD Garden.
Boston Celtics – Can they grab another victory?
The Celtics were in a tough situation, playing on the road against the defending champions in Game 6. However, they put an excellent performance and celebrated a 108-95 victory, which brought them a chance to move the series back home for a decider. Boston made the key difference in the second quarter, which they won by eight points. The Celtics were quite good at shooting since they had a 43.7 field goal percentage. Besides that, Boston scored 39.5% of their three-pointers attempts. Despite being inferior in the paint, the Celtics made three turnovers less than their rivals.
Jayson Tatum was brilliant in the latest match and led his team to success by scoring 46 points and having nine rebounds and nine assists. He has been the most productive player for Boston in the playoffs, averaging 28.8 pts, 5.9 assists, 5.6 rebs, and 1.4 steals per contest. Jaylen Brown has scored 22.5 points per match, followed by 6.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 steals. Marcus Smart has 15.4 pts in the post-season, while Al Horford tops the rebounds charts with 9.3 and produces 13.7 points. Regarding the availability issues, Sam Hauser and Robert Williams III are still out, while other players should be ready to make appearances.
Expected Line-Up: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Daniel Theis
with best odds
Milwaukee Bucks – Will they bounce back after the latest defeat?
The Bucks missed a great opportunity to finish this series in front of their fans. However, they lost Game 6 and need to go to Boston and celebrate on the road to continue defending the title. Milwaukee had shooting problems in the previous game since they hit only 40.9% of their field goal attempts. Besides that, their three-pointer percentage was much lower and stayed at 24.1. Dominance in the paint didn’t help the Bucks much since they made three turnovers more than their rivals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn’t do everything by himself in the previous match despite scoring 44 points, 20 rebounds, and six assists. Only two more players had a double-digit number of points in Game 6. The Greek international dominates the team’s charts in the playoffs, producing 32.3 pts, 13.6 rebs, 6.5 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game. Jrue Holiday contributes to the Bucks’ offense with 18.9 points and 6.4 assists, while Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, and Pat Connaughton score a bit more than ten pts per contest. Khris Middleton is still injured, but Milwaukee shouldn’t have more selection troubles.
Expected Line-Up: Jrue Holiday, Wesley Matthews, Pat Connaughton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez
Expert Pick #1 – Milwaukee Bucks +5 @-110
This series has been very exciting, and we have seen four away victories so far. It’s questionable whether Milwaukee is capable of winning this game, but the visitors can keep it tight. They have a championship mentality and won’t give up so easily. Therefore, I’ll back the Bucks to cove the nut as the road dog as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 206.5 @-110
The Under has been a very frequent outcome for both sides recently. Nine of Milwaukee’s last 11 games stayed under the margin, while it cashed in five of Boston’s previous seven matches. It’s going to be a tight battle, and these two teams shouldn’t produce more than 206 points. That’s why I’ll go with the Under as my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 34.5 @-125
Milwaukee’s best player has been a dominant figure in this series, and he goes to this match after producing 44 pts on Friday evening. I expect him to lead his team with another efficient performance, and Giannis Antetokounmpo should score at least 35 points in this one. The odds are a bit lower than for the first two picks, but it will be my second alternative for this matchup.
