Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics 10/30/19: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Daily Fantasy
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Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics Preview
The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics have identical 2-1 records entering tonight’s game at TD Garden in Boston. The Bucks and Celtics are considered two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and have been favored as top contenders in preseason rankings.
The Bucks won two of their three games against the Celtics last season and they also gave the Celtics their playoff exit in the second round, so Boston, who is now led at point guard by Kemba Walker with the departure of Kyrie Irving, will have plenty to play for tonight.
Boston has won their last two games and will look to build on that winning streak at home tonight.
TV Schedule
Date: 10/30/19
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Channel: ESPN
Injuries
Bucks: No injuries
Celtics: Enes Kanter (O), Daniel Theis, Romeo Langford (Q)
Milwaukee Bucks Starting Lineup
PG: Eric Bledsoe
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Khris Middleton
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Brook Lopez
Bucks Analysis
The Milwaukee Bucks used a balanced scoring attack in their latest 129-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night. Seven Bucks players scored in double figures in part due to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s seven assists.
“I’m just trying to be aggressive,” said Antetokounmpo. “One of the things I do well is finding others open shots. If I see a guy open, I just want to pass it on the money, and hopefully, he’ll knock it down.”
His teammates certainly knocked them down on Monday, with Khris Middleton leading the Bucks with 21 points.
Just as they were in the Bucks’ playoff runs, George Hill and Pat Connaughton were huge off the bench in the game. Hill had 19 points and eight rebounds, while Connaughton pitched in 17.
New starting shooting guard Wesley Matthews has been a nice addition, especially with the loss of Malcolm Brogdon. Matthews is averaging 14 points per game through three games.
Bucks Quick Links: Bucks Starting Lineup, Bucks Roster, Bucks Depth Chart, Bucks Injuries, Bucks News, Bucks Schedule
Boston Celtics Starting Lineup
PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Gordon Hayward
C: Robert Williams
Celtics Analysis
The Celtics put the hurt on the New York Knicks on Saturday night in their 118-95 win as they scored 72 points in the final two quarters to really separate themselves.
The addition of Kemba Walker has been a good one thus far for the Celtics. Boston was involved in a lot of inner turmoil especially with the soured relationships and turmoil around Kyrie Irving last season. Marcus Smart noted a difference in the atmosphere in Boston.
“On and off the court it’s an incredible force,” Smart said. “Everybody’s joking, everybody’s laughing, everybody’s happy. That was a big thing for us. A lot of people weren’t happy last year. So to see everybody’s happy faces and smiling and everything, it helps a lot.”
Walker was likely smiling as he enjoyed his best game as a Celtic, scoring 32 points on Saturday. Jaylen Brown added 19 points, and Jayson Tatum had 15 points and nine rebounds.
Celtics Quick Links: Celtics Starting Lineup, Celtics Roster, Celtics Depth Chart, Celtics Injuries, Celtics News, Celtics Schedule
Key Player Matchups
Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Jaylen Brown
Brown is the Celtics’ best perimeter defender, so he probably draws Giannis tonight, one of the toughest defensive assignments in the league. Giannis with a full head of steam on fast breaks or establishing position down low will be hard for Brown to stop, so his best bet is to keep Antetokounmpo at bay on the perimeter. Giannis’ one weakness is a mid-range jumper, so Brown will look to stop his penetration and force him into hard shots.
Khris Middleton vs. Jayson Tatum
This is a battle of sharpshooters that are also threats on drives. Tatum is averaging 20.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, but he’s also shooting well beyond the arc. Middleton isn’t far off with 19 points and nearly seven rebounds per game.
Eric Bledsoe vs. Kemba Walker
After struggling out the gates of the 2019-20 NBA season, Kemba Walker has performed much better in their last two wins, scoring 32 points in their win over the Knicks. Bledsoe is a dogged defender, and while his numbers won’t jump off the stat sheet, he’ll be looking to limit Walker.
Daily Fantasy
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best player in the game tonight, and while he won’t come cheap at $10.8k, he’s expected to make that worthwhile with 57.45 points. Aside from being the multi-cat beast that he is, he’s also shooting the ball at a high clip early on this season. For Boston, Jayson Tatum would be my pick and he certainly fits in the value category as well at $6.8k with a projection of 32.67 points.
Kemba Walker would also be another stud for Boston. Khris Middleton is the Bucks value play at a $6.8k salary with a projection of 34.87 points.
Bet on Matchup
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