BOSTON CELTICS VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS – ODDS & PREDICTIONS FOR NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Greeting basketball fans. Welcome back to our weekly NBA coverage here at Latest Basketball News. One of the matchups on tap from Wednesday’s slate of games features the Boston Celtics taking on the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Here is a look at which team has the edge going into this conference showdown and why.

Tipoff

• When: Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at 7:30 PM ET*
  
• Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
  
• TV: ESPN, NBCS-BOS, BSWI

Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks Odds via Draft Kings)

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics – Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

The Milwaukee Bucks started off the 2023-24 campaign with five wins in their first nine outings. Since the somewhat slow start, though, the Bucks have reeled off five consecutive victories. This includes a 142-129 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night. In that contest, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with a game-high 42 points on an uber-efficient 20-for-23 shooting from the field. The former Finals MVP characterized his performance as “random basketball”. 

“Left block, right block, transition, rim run, off the dribble,” said Antetokounmpo, who also had 13 rebounds and eight assists. “Roll, pop — just play random basketball. I think it’s harder to guard, harder for them to load up.”

Contrary to what Antetokounmpo stated, shooting 87 percent from the field is anything BUT random. The last occurrence in which a player shot a higher percentage took place 40 years ago. Mike Woodson, who played for the Kansas City Kings, scored 48 points while shooting 22-for-24 from the field (91.7 percent).

On the other side of this matchup, we have a Celtics team that is playing well also.  In fact, Boston has won six of their previous seven games. In their most recent outing, the Celtics were defeated by the Charlotte Hornets 121-108. Jayson Tatum paced Boston with 45 points on 15-for-28 shooting from the field and 7-for-15 from beyond the arc. Tatum also tallied 13 rebounds, six assists, and two blocked shots. 

Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in terms of scoring. However, Boston is a bit better at the other end of the court. The Bucks are ranked 23rd in scoring defense and 22nd in efficiency. Conversely, the Celtics are ranked third in both scoring defense and defensive rating. Based on the trends, the Bucks may have their hands full in this matchup.

The Picks

The Spread

The Boston Celtics opened as a three-point favorite. At the time of this writing, the Celtics are now six-point favorites. Here are a few trends that suggest why picking the Celtics to cover could be the way to go. 

• The Bucks are 0-5 against the spread in their last five matchups against Boston.
• Milwaukee is 2-7 ATS in its last nine road games against the Celtics. 
• In their last 20 games that were played on a Wednesday, the Celtics are 14-5-1 against the spread.

Prediction: Boston Celtics (-6)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this contest opened at 236.5 points. That line has moved to 235 points. Here is why you should go with the OVER here.

The teams have combined for an over/under record of 16-12. 

The OVER has hit for the Bucks in 15 of their last 20 outings. 

In Milwaukee’s last 13 road games, the OVER total prevailed 11 times. 

The OVER total is 5-1 in the Bucks’ last six games against Atlantic Division opponents. 

Meanwhile, the OVER total has cashed in five times for Boston in its last seven games against the Bucks.

In the Celtics’ last eight games against Central division teams, the OVER total has hit seven times.

The total has gone OVER 11 times in Boston’s last 16 games they have played on Wednesday. 

Prediction: Over 235 points

Play Prop Bets

My key player to watch for Milwaukee is Giannis Antetokounmpo. He currently has -115 odds of scoring more than 28.5 points and -110 odds of finishing with less than 28.5 points. Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.2 points per contest this season and he has scored 28-plus points in six of his last nine games. Given these trends, I would strongly recommend going with the over. 

My key player to watch for the Celtics is Jayson Tatum. He currently has -155 odds of scoring more than 27.5 points and +100 odds of scoring less than 27.5 points. In 37 regular-season and playoff games against the Bucks, Tatum is averaging 20.8 points per contest. However, he is averaging 28.2 points per contest this season. Additionally, Tatum has scored at least 28 points seven times across his last 11 outings. Based on these trends, it is probably safe to go with the over for Tatum as well. 

James’s Picks

Boston Celtics: (-6)

Over/Under: Over 235

PPB #1: Giannis Antetokounmpo OVER 28.5 points

PPB #2: Jayson Tatum OVER 27.5 points