Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Pick ATS | March 20

Milwaukee Bucks (44-24 SU, 30-38 ATS) vs. Boston Celtics (54-14 SU, 35-30 ATS)

When: Wednesday, March 20th, 7:30 PM (ET)

Where: TD Garden, MA, Boston

TV: ESPN

Point Spread: Mil +8.5/Bos -8.5

Total: 223

Money Line: Milwaukee Bucks +303/-388

Notable Injuries

Bucks

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (Questionable) Hamstring
• MarJon Beauchamp (Probable) Back

Celtics

• Jrue Holiday (Questionable) Shoulder
• Jaylen Brown (Questionable) Ankle
• Sam Hauser (Questionable) Ankle

At 7:30 ET, the 2nd place Bucks (44-24) will take on the 1st place Celtics (54-14) in an Eastern Conference matchup. The Celtics are currently favored by 8.5 points and will look to extend their win streak to 7 games.

This game will be played at the TD Garden in Boston and can be seen on ESPN. The over/under line for this game is currently set at 223 points.

Recent Form

The Bucks have an overall record of 44-24 this season, which is good for 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. In non-conference games, they are 14-11 compared to 30-13 against the East.

Milwaukee’s ATS record for the season is 30-38, and they have covered the spread in their last two games. On the road, they are 14-20 ATS, while going 16-18 ATS at home.

Coming into today’s game, the Bucks are 8.5-point underdogs. As the underdog, they have gone 3-8 straight-up and 4-7 ATS. On average, they have been outscored by 13 points per game as the underdog.

In their most recent game, the Bucks defeated the Suns by a score of 140-129. The O/U line for that game was 227 points, and Milwaukee was getting 2.5 points going into the game.

This season, the average O/U line in Bucks games is 236.3 points, and their games have averaged a combined 238 points. Today’s O/U line is set at 223, and Milwaukee has a record of 33-35 on the over/under for the season.

The Celtics have won six straight games and are the top team in the Eastern Conference with a record of 54-14. In the Atlantic Division, they are also in 1st place.

Boston’s ATS record for the season is 35-30, and they have covered the spread in their last six games. At home, they are 19-14 ATS and have an average scoring margin of +15.7 points per game.

In their most recent game, the Celtics defeated the Pistons by a score of 119-94. The O/U line for that game was 221.5, and the Celtics were favored by 15.5 points.

On average, Celtics games have scored 230.3 points per game, which is higher than today’s O/U line of 223. For the season, the Celtics have an O/U record of 32-35-1.

In terms of ATS, the Celtics are 33-29 as the favorite and have an average scoring margin of +12.2 points per game in these games. As the favorite, they are 52-13 this season.

The Historicals

Over the last 5 head to head meetings, the Celtics have averaged 125 points per game compared to 119 for Milwaukee. This has led to an ATS record of 3-2 for Boston. The over-under record in these same games is 3-2, with the teams combining for an average of 244 points per game.

Analysis

Heading into their game against the Celtics, the Bucks are 4th in the NBA in scoring at 120.7 points per game. On the road, they are averaging 118.2 points per game.

So far this season, Milwaukee has outscored the NBA scoring average in 64.7% of their games. In terms of pace, they are 5th in the league at 100.4 possessions per game.

When it comes to shooting, the Bucks are 7th in field goal percentage at 49%. They are also 3rd in true shooting percentage.

Coming into the game, the Bucks’ defense is giving up an average of 117.3 points per game. So far, they have given up more points than the NBA league average in 60.3% of their games. In terms of takeaways, Bucks are causing 12.1 turnovers per game, ranking 8th in the league. They also enter the matchup ranked 16th in rejections, averaging 5 blocked shots each game.

The Celtics’ offense has been one of the most potent in the league this season, averaging 121 points per game (2nd). At home, they have been even better, scoring 123.4 points per game.

One of the keys to Boston’s success has been their three-point shooting. They lead the NBA in both three-point makes (16.6 per game) and attempts (42.6 per game). Overall, they are shooting 39% from beyond the arc (2nd).

When it comes to two-point shooting, the Celtics are 3rd in the league with a 57% success rate. However, they are just 29th in two-point makes and 30th in two-point attempts.

Coming into today’s game, the Celtics’ defense is giving up an average of 109.3 points per contest. Boston’s defense is currently forcing 11.5 turnovers per game, which is 2nd in the league. Additionally, they enter the game ranked 2nd in blocked shots, with an average of 6.6 rejections per game.

Betting Trends

• In their last five games away from home, the Bucks have a straight-up record of 2-3 while going 2-3 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 108 points per game in these contests.
• Through their last ten home contests, the Celtics offense has averaged 117 points per game while allowing an average of 106. Boston posted an overall record of 8-2 while going 6-3-1 ATS.
• As the betting underdog, the Bucks have an ATS record of 3-2 in their last five games. In these matchups, their, straight up record was 3-2.
• Through their last five games as the favorite, the Celtics have an ATS record of 5-0 and a straight-up mark of 5-0.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

Tonight’s Bucks vs. Celtics game is one where you definitely want to keep a close eye on the injury reports, as each side has some big-time players listed as questionable. The last time these two teams played, the Bucks took care of business at home, but it is worth noting the Celtics were playing in the 2nd half of a back-to-back. And even though Milwaukee looked really good in their last game vs. the Suns and didn’t have Giannis, I see them struggling tonight. My pick is the Celtics to pick up a win and cover the spread.