The NBA schedule makers aren’t interested in competing with Game of Thrones in prime time tonight and thus are running an afternoon doubleheader as two quarterfinal series tip off. It’s hard to know what to expect in Game 1 between the Celtics and Bucks but sportsbooks opened the spread with Milwaukee as a 6.5-point favorite. Bettors have pushed that number to 7.5. The total is 223.5.
Standout Stats
- Milwaukee won the season series 2-1 but the Celtics were 2-1 ATS. The most recent meeting was on February 21 in Milwaukee – the Bucks won 98-97.
- The Celtics are 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10, including covering the spread in all four Sportsbook round wins vs Indiana. The Bucks covered in each of their four Sportsbook round wins as well.
- Milwaukee is 51-31-4 ATS (regular season and playoffs) this year. They are the best ATS team in the NBA and the only one with 50+ ATS wins
- The average combined score in the three meetings this season was 217.3, however the first two games went OVER the total with the low-scoring finale dragging the average down.
- The O/U was 1-3 in Boston’s first round series and 3-1 in Milwaukee’s first round series. The Bucks have gone OVER the total in eight of their last 10 games.
- The Bucks scored 121.8 points per game in the first round. Second only to Golden State’s 124.5. Boston scored just 99.3 points per game vs a very slow-moving Pacers squad.
My Best Bet For Celtics vs Bucks
Bucks -7.5
Milwaukee has been an excellent bet for me all year and I don’t expect that to change now with them emerging as the Eastern Conference favorite. I’ll accept that 7.5 points is a lot to be laying in the second round of the playoffs but in a Game 1 situation at home, I’ll be backing the team that I think could win the NBA Championship this year.
Milwaukee is the only team with 50+ ATS wins this year. home Boston is 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games. away The O/U was 2-1 in the season series with an average combined score of 217.3.
