Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics 5/11/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Matchup Preview (5/11/22)

It wasn’t looking great for the Boston Celtics towards the end of the third quarter in Game Four; however, a series of events transpired in that quarter that lit Boston in a highly motivating area. The main happening occurred when Giannis Antetokounmpo dunked on Al Horford at the beginning of the third quarter; shortly after a taunting call resulted in a technical foul on Giannis. It was not much longer before Horford decided to go nuclear, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter to propel the C’s past a double-digit deficit going into the quarter to a narrow road victory to even the series up at two apiece.

The series heads back to Boston for a pivotal Game Five that can hugely sway the series. The Celtics will be ecstatic to see their home fans, but that has not always guaranteed a win, as evidenced by Game One. Boston will need to stay focused, hit shots, and hold Giannis to a reasonable output to secure this one. Additionally, the C’s are hoping that big man Robert Williams III will be able to return after missing the last game; he’s the anchor to their defense and it is apparent to even the average viewer. Check out the betting odds section for further analysis and my picks on this game!

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Betting Odds

Hammering the Boston Moneyline makes perfect sense, especially if Williams is cleared to return. This should be a bloodbath until the end, so I don’t see either team blowing the other out like in the first two games. Still, I’m expecting Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown to have a big game, especially since Al Horford helped relieve that scoring pressure from them last game. Expect a tight game that could swing in either direction (in terms of which team covers the spread) in the final minute or two. I will stick with the C’s Moneyline.

Except for Game Four, the point totals have been well under 214.5. Game Four was unique in that the Celtics got 30 points from Al Horford and 18 points from Marcus Smart. In all likelihood, that will not happen again. Additionally, Jayson Tatum still posted 30 points, so Boston had plenty of offensive output. It could get to 105-109 points in this game, but I don’t see it finishing with more than that.

How To Watch

Date: 5/11/22
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Arena: TD Garden – Boston, MA
Channel: TNT

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Milwaukee Bucks Starting Lineup

PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Grayson Allen
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Brook Lopez

Milwaukee Bucks Analysis

Milwaukee may be the defending champions, but being on the road in Boston without Khris Middleton makes it inherently an underdog. The Bucks snuck out a narrow victory in Game Three, but it took a historically poor performance from Jayson Tatum (ten points on 19 shots) and an electric 42/12/8 line from Giannis Antetokounmpo to do that. Sometimes that is all that matters, but it is a cause for concern that so many things had to go right to squeak out a two-point win at home. Milwaukee’s blueprint to getting past one of the most dangerous teams in basketball is a combination of shooting and defense. The Bucks have done well on the defensive end for the most part; however, they need to defend the perimeter much better as Boston is shooting just shy of 38% as a team from deep. Milwaukee desperately needs to match that impressive long-range shooting; it has shot merely 29% from that distance during this series. The Bucks are a superb three-point shooting team, so they have to capitalize when they get open looks.

Boston Celtics Starting Lineup

PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Grant Williams
C: Al Horford

Boston Celtics Analysis

It hasn’t been the prettiest series for the Boston Celtics, but they seem to like it that way. Boston has ranked at or near the top in every essential defensive statistical category throughout the season. However, the C’s have the fifth-best (fourth-best, if you exclude the Chicago Bulls, who have been eliminated) defensive rating in the playoffs, which is not up to par for them. The offensive end has not been any better statistically, ranking eighth in offensive rating since mid-April (fifth-best of teams still in contention.) The dynamic scoring duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum has helped this offense throughout the year, but they will need other players to step up. We saw that in Game Four when Al Horford and Marcus Smart combined for a whopping 48 points. If they can continue to delegate offensive responsibilities and play antagonizing defense, they could find themselves in the NBA Finals after a less than ideal start to the season.