This Sunday, the (22-10) Milwaukee Bucks will travel to Boston, MA to take on the (23-10) Boston Celtics. Tipoff will be at 5:00 PM EST inside TD Garden. This will be the first time that these two teams have matched up this season, as I am expecting a battle on Christmas Day!
The Milwaukee Bucks are coming into this one after falling to the Brooklyn Nets, 118-110. Milwaukee struggled on the defensive end of the court, as they allowed the Nets to shoot 49.5% from the floor. They will have to contest more shots in this one if they want to challenge the Celtics on the road.
The Boston Celtics are entering this matchup after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 121-109. Boston looked great on both ends of the floor, as they will have to stay efficient in this one if they want to take care of business at home.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they trail the first-place Celtics by .5 a game. On offense, they are scoring 112.5 points per game and they are shooting 46.1% from the floor. This is the 17th most points scored per contest and the 22nd-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Bucks have an adjusted offensive efficiency rating of 112.2, which is the 15th-highest rating in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the floor, as he is scoring 31.6 points per game on 53.7% shooting from the field. Milwaukee has also shown that they are much more successful when they are attacking the basket. They have only shot 35% from deep, which is the 17th-highest three-point shooting percentage. Milwaukee has continued to leave points on the court, as well. They are only shooting 74% from the charity stripe, which is the 27th-high est free-throw shooting percentage in the league.
On the defensive end of the court, the Milwaukee Bucks are surrendering 109.2 points and they have forced their opponents to shoot 45.1% from the floor. This is the fifth least amount of points surrendered per game and the second-lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Bucks have an adjusted defensive rating of 109.1, which is the second-lowest rating in the NBA. Milwaukee has also continued to contest shots near the rim and on the outside. They are holding their opponents to 35% shooting from behind the arc, which is the ninth-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed. The Bucks have continued to crash the offensive and defensive glass, as well. They are snatching 48.3 rebounds per game, which is the second most. They can't allow the Celtics to score second-chance points if they want to stay in this game.
Injury Report: Kris Middleton SF (Knee) i s questionable.
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