Bucks vs Celtics Prediction & Betting: Boston Favored At Home In Game 1

The Boston Celtics (55-31, 46-38-2 ATS) welcome the Milwaukee Bucks (55-32, 42-45) to TD Garden on Sunday for Game 1 of their second round series. The Celtics are coming off a sweep of the Brooklyn Nets while the Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls in five games. Find out which team will draw first blood in our Bucks vs Celtics prediction.

Bucks vs Celtics Odds & Analysis

Sportsbook Odds

The Celtics opened as a five-point home favorite with the total set at 218 points. The UNDER is 5-0 in Milwaukee’s last five games while the OVER is 12-4 in Boston’s last 16 contests. Milwaukee is 0-7 ATS in the last seven meetings against Boston, suggesting that the hosts may have the edge for your Bucks vs Celtics prediction.

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Bucks Need Players To Step Up Without Middleton

The Bucks advanced past the Bulls on Wednesday with a 116-100 win in Game 5 of their first round series. Giannis Antetokounmpo had another big game with 33 points and nine rebounds, Bobby Portis had 14 points and 17 boards for a double-double and Pat Connaughton scored 20 points in just 23 minutes off the bench.

The biggest struggle for Milwaukee in this series will be the absence of the club’s second leading scorer, Khris Middleton. The guard went down in the first round with a knee sprain and is expected to miss the entire series against Boston, meaning that secondary scorers like Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez will need to step up for the Bucks.

George Hill (abdomen) is also out for Sunday’s game.

Celtics Look Dangerous After Sweeping Nets

The Celtics completed their sweep of the Nets on Monday with a 116-112 victory. While Kevin Durant (39 points), Seth Curry (23 points) and Kyrie Irving (20 points) finally did some damage for the Nets, the Celtics managed to outscore them thanks to a 29-point effort from Jayson Tatum and double-digit efforts from four of his teammates.

Most expected the series to be a lot closer than it was, and the Celtics seem to have garnered a lot more respect as a potential championship team after sweeping the star-studded Nets. As of April 28, Boston had been bumped to +350 to win it all – the second-best odds of the remaining eight teams behind only the Golden State Warriors at +290.

Bucks vs Celtics Pick & Insights

Bucks: Keys to Cover

Milwaukee will need another huge performance from Antetokounmpo, who averaged 28.6 points per game in the first round, as well as some big games from Holiday, Portis and others. The Bucks have the depth to overcome the loss of Middleton, but everyone will have to be clicking.

Celtics: Keys to Cover

Boston wasn’t as dominant defensively against Brooklyn as they’ve normally been this season, but they more than made up for that with increased offense. Tatum and Jaylen Brown averaged 29.5 and 22.5 points, respectively, in the first round – if that duo keeps it up, the Celtics will be hard to stop.

Odds Shark’s Computer Bucks vs Celtics Prediction: Bucks +4.5

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