Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics 5/1/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions
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Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Matchup Preview (5/1/22)
Buckle up, basketball fans. After each team won their series convincingly, the Milwaukee Bucks will face off with the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics. Boston swept the Brooklyn Nets in four games with relative ease, utilizing its league-best defense against all-time scoring greats Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Celtics were able to apply significant pressure to Durant and Irving, forcing them to pass to other players, such as Bruce Brown, Seth Curry, Goran Dragic, and Nic Claxton. At times, Brooklyn had success moving the ball around and getting open looks; however, ultimately, the Nets’ role players could only do so much.
Milwaukee could prove to be competitive in this series, but the loss of Khris Middleton negatively affects its offense and chemistry. If the first series for both teams were any indication of how these games will be played, Giannis Antetokounmpo would see an unreal amount of usage, while the C’s will be throwing multiple bodies at him to try and force the ball out of his hands. Check out the betting odds and team analysis below for my favorite bets in this matchup!
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Betting Odds
As of Saturday night, the spread has the Boston Celtics as 4.5-point home favorites, with the point total for both teams sitting at 217 points. The key to betting on Game One is waiting to ensure that Jaylen Brown will be cleared to play. Reports have surfaced that he is experiencing some hamstring tightness, which we know has caused him some issues over the past several years. If Brown plays, I love the Boston Celtics in this spot. Boston is fresh off a series sweep against the formidable and talented Brooklyn Nets, including a healthy Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Meanwhile, the Bucks don’t have Khris Middleton, their secondary scorer who could hit contested looks and bail them out of bad offensive possessions, which the Celtics tend to cause. I’ll take the Celtics Moneyline for now but will hold off on taking them against the spread until I get more clarity on Brown’s availability. Also, I want to see if the spread tightens at all because it is at least half of a point less than earlier.
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How To Watch
Date: 5/1/22
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Arena: TD Garden – Boston, MA
Channel: TNT/ABC
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Milwaukee Bucks Starting Lineup
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
PF: Bobby Portis
C: Brook Lopez
Milwaukee Bucks Analysis
Milwaukee has shifted its lineup a little bit after Khris Middleton was ruled out for the foreseeable future; it moved All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to the three and plugged in fan-favorite Bobby Portis at the four. Now, the Bucks have one of the largest lineups in the league, similar to a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since losing Middleton, Milwaukee ranks middle-of-the-road in offensive rating from teams in the playoffs. That didn’t matter very much against a team that has played as poorly recently as the Chicago Bulls; however, it will be considerably different against the Boston Celtics. The key for the Bucks to make it far in this series is playing well at Fiserv Forum (similar to last postseason) and getting red hot from three in most games. Giannis also needs to be virtually unstoppable; he can’t have any off games in this series.
Boston Celtics Starting Lineup
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Robert Williams III
Boston Celtics Analysis
The last thing that the Boston Celtics need right now is an injury to Jaylen Brown. Brown has recently experienced some hamstring tightness, which he has dealt with on and off for quite a while. There have been reports that Brown will give it a go for Game One, but you never know; it could flare up in pre-game warmups or even the night before. Still, the Celtics have played at an inexplicably high level. Boston showed no fear in the first round against the Brooklyn Nets, a squad that multiple teams in the Eastern Conference were actively trying to avoid at the end of the season. Since the beginning of the postseason, Boston ranks second in offensive rating and has impressed with its defense against two of the premier scorers in NBA history.
