Bucks and Celtics only play on the Holidays!
The 39-17 Milwaukee Bucks take on the 41-16 Boston Celtics in downtown Milwaukee at the Fiserv Forum. At home the Bucks are 23-5.
Happy Valentine’s Day! It feels like these two teams only meet on holidays! The next time these teams play, March 30th, is also a holiday. March 30th is better known as “National Little Red Wagon Day”. So, maybe not as big as Christmas or Valentine’s Day but in today’s world, everyday is a holiday. (Plus we do have Jrue.)
For the Milwaukee Bucks to be able to play back on Christmas Day was a pretty cool thing. They lost 139-118 (not a cool thing) but it still seemed to signal the start of the second half of the NBA regular season. The All-Star break signals the end of that second half. After the Bucks play Thursday against the Bulls they have eight days off.
For the Bucks that Christmas time road trip, which included game one of the season series versus Boston, was a tough stretch, highlighted by a tough loss against Brooklyn where they turned the ball over and never seemed to be able to get within ten points of the Nets. (118-100) On that trip Milwaukee also lost in Cleveland to the Cavs.
Milwaukee, unlike Christmas Day, has the player-availability advantage. Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III are listed as either “out” or very unlikely to play. Milwaukee will be without Bobby Portis.
Related: Updated Injury Report
Bucks keys
Score the ball
The Bucks are 13th in the NBA in scoring (114 points per game). Defensively they only give up around 111 points per game, hence their pretty strong record.
But when it comes to shooting, it is time to keep some guys hot. Jevon Carter is shooting at a 40% three-point clip; so are Grayson Allen and AJ Green. Giannis leads the team in field goal percentage at 54%. Who else can hit some shots? Keep an eye on Jrue and Khris.
Milwaukee’s team field goal percentage is going up and up. Around that dreaded Christmas road trip, the Bucks were sitting at 23rd in the NBA. While they have only snuck up to 22nd overall in the NBA, there have been marketed improvements from Allen, Lopez and Ingles.
Related: Bucks move up in Power Rankings
Keep those Turnovers Down
The Bucks have been a little careless at times with the ball. Against the Clippers they had 11 turnovers and against the Lakers they only had 10. It is just a sports “truism”- turning the ball over to your opponents gives them more opportunities to score.
The Bucks, on the season, were averaging less than 15 a game. They need to keep that number down. This winning streak has really helped to prove that.
Out Rebound Boston
Milwaukee leads the NBA in team rebounding at 49.1 total boards a game.
Boston is 5th in the NBA in team rebounding. The team that controls the glass in this one will have a big advantage.
The Opponent: The Boston Celtics
Jason Tatum is having an MVP caliber season. He is averaging 30/8/4. He is also in a big media market on a team that got off to a hot start. He plays a ton: near 38 minutes per game.
Former Buck Malcolm Brogdon has played well for Boston. He has yet to start a game but has averaged 14 points a game, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Brogdon was the Bucks second round pick in 2016.
Related: Revisiting the 2016 NBA Draft
Al Horford is still around and playing well. While he only averages 9 points per game, he is pulling down around 6 rebounds in around 30 minutes of play.
Jaylen Brown has played good ball this season but is out with a break in his cheekbone. (Face)
Things to tell your buddies as you are watching the game
- Milwaukee is riding a ten game win streak.
- The Milwaukee Bucks have a 105-104 record without Khris Middleton all-time.
- The Celtics have a 73-59 record all-time without Marcus Smart.
- The Celtics are one of the NBA’s original eight teams. The other seven were the New York Knicks, Philadelphia (now Golden State) Warriors, the Providence Steamrollers, the Baltimore Bullets, the Chicago Stags, the Washington Capitols and the St. Louis Bombers.
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