Friday's NBA game between the Boston Celtics (18-4) and Milwaukee Bucks (11-10) will be broadcast nationally. Boston has previously defeated these opponents twice this season, first by 11 at home and then by 6 away. The Bucks, who are 4.5-point home favorites, just suffered a 119-104 loss to the Hawks at home. Despite winning 130-120 at home against the Pistons, the Celtics missed the cover as 12.5-point favorites. ESPN will broadcast the game, which kicks off at TD Garden at 7:30 EST.
The Celtics set the tone with 39 points in the first quarter to seize the lead early on, and they simply kept up the pressure until they were ahead by 20 points in the third quarter. As a team, they shot 47 percent from the field and a scorching 21 of 53 from the 3-point line. After this game, the Celtics will take on the Grizzlies, Pistons, Wizards, and Bulls.
After a rough start to the season, the Milwaukee Bucks have turned things around and are now winning. Before falling to the Hawks, they had just won seven straight games.
As the Bucks continue to move up the Eastern Conference standings, Khris Middleton is expected to make a comeback to the starting lineup for this game. Right now, the Bucks are ranked fifth in the East. Giannis Antetokoumpo led Milwaukee with 31 points and 11 rebounds in the Hawks' defeat.
The NBA's 18-4 Boston Celtics will host the 11-10 Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night in a highly anticipated Eastern Conference game. The Bucks are in fifth place, 6.5 games behind the Celtics, who enter this game in second place in the East.
With a.818 winning % going into Friday's game, the Celtics are still dominating the 2024 campaign. They are currently one game behind the Cavaliers in the standings, despite their outstanding start.
Boston just defeated the Pistons 130-120 on Wednesday, their second straight victory and ninth in their previous ten games.
After the Hawks ended their seven-game winning streak in a 119-104 home loss on Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks, who have won nine of their previous 11 games overall, will be looking to recover in this one. Taurean Prince contributed 10 points, Damian Lillard contributed 25 points and five assists, while Giannis Antetokounmpo led the club with 31 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Although the Bucks only made 42 percent of their field goals and 15 of 45 3-point attempts overall, they struggled defensively and were often trailing after giving up 70 points in the first half.
Following their 130-120 victory over the Pistons at home on Wednesday, the Boston Celtics, who have won nine of their past ten games overall, will be looking to win three straight. Sam Hauser contributed 20 points on seven of twelve shooting, Kristaps Porzingis added 26 points with nine rebounds and two blocks, and Jaylen Brown led the team with 28 points and nine assists.
With 25.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 4.6 APG this season, Brown is continuing to have a successful campaign. Tatum and Brown are a duo of athletic forwards that can match up defensively and score against any player 1-4 on the court. In the majority of offensive categories, such as 28.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 5.6 APG, Tatum leads the squad. Although all of the players in Boston's starting lineup are capable of shooting, Tatum shoots the most threes, averaging 4.0 per game and making 37.4% of his tries. Kristaps Porzingis averaged 21.0 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game when playing versus Detroit, where he scored 26 points. Derrick White is aware of his responsibilities, contributes an additional 18.1 PPG, and is always willing to help out when needed.
Tatum and Jrue Holiday are listed as game time decisions here after sitting out against Detroit. They replaced them with Sam Hauser and Al Horford. Boston's defense ranks sixth in the NBA with just 12.5 points allowed per game, and they lead the league in three-point shooting with 19.1 makes per game. In terms of possessions per game, Boston is ranked 16th in the league.
