The Milwaukee Bucks completed a sweep of the third and fourth games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Boston Celtics on Monday night, as the Bucks’ bench outscored the Celtics’ reserves, 32-7, in the game to help drive Milwaukee to a 113-101 win that has the Celtics on the brink of elimination. Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 39 points and 16 boards in a spirited effort for the Bucks, George Hill had 15 points (nine in the crucial third period) and Pat Connaughton came off the bench to score nine points and pull down 10 boards. Antetokounmpo had 17 of his 39 points in the fourth period, grabbing seven boards in that frame, to seal the win. For Boston, Kyrie Irving put up 23 points and 10 assists, but he went just 7 for 22 from the floor, including 1 of 7 from downtown. Al Horford added 20 points for a Celtics team that seems one more game from elimination. Can Milwaukee finish the job? Or will Boston come back to force a Game 6? Take a look at our NBA betting preview.
Celtics vs Bucks NBA Playoffs Game 6 Odds & Game Preview
When: Wednesday, May 8, 2019, 8:00pm ET
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
TV: TNT
Radio: WBZ 98.5 FM Boston / WTMJ 1070 AM Milwaukee
Live Stream: ESPN+NBA Odds: Milwaukee Bucks -9.5 / O/U 218
Why should you bet on Boston?
Boston has their collective back against the wall on Wednesday night, and Kyrie Irving may be the one to lead them back. He has 22.1 points and 7.8 assists per game in the postseason, with Jayson Tatum kicking in 15.4 points and 6.8 boards. Horford is also scoring in double figures in the playoffs.
If we think about the spread, 9 ½ points is a fairly large margin in an elimination game, and Boston has covered in six of their seven games outside of Beantown. In their last seven games played on one day’s rest, they have covered five times. In the last 14 meetings between the two teams in Milwaukee, Boston has covered the spread 10 times. If you like the Celtics, you see Irving & Company mounting a spirited attack offensively and Horford doing a better job locking down the lane as the team should look to revert back to their approach in Game 1, when they dared Giannis to drive, only to play far enough off to hold position and deny him looks at the hoop.
Why should you put your money on Milwaukee?
Milwaukee’s offense continues to click, as the team is averaging 117 points per game on 47.1 percent shooting as a team in this postseason. To one’s surprise, Antetokounmpo is the team’s leading postseason scorer and rebounder, with 28.4 points and 11.8 boards per game. Khris Middleton is also having a monster postseason, averaging 19.1 points and 5.8 boards per game. Milwaukee comes in having won nine of 12 at home.
In their last 58 games, Milwaukee has covered in 38 games overall and in 34 of their last 51 games played on one day’s rest. The Bucks are a younger team, so the fatigue of the postseason may be wearing less on them. If you like Milwaukee, you see the Celtics wilting under the pressure of the Bucks’ offense over the last three games and believe that will prove decisive in Milwaukee on Wednesday night.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction for Celtics vs Bucks
Normally, I would stay away from the favorite in a game like this, because I expect elimination games to be tighter. However, Boston has lost Games 2 through 4 by an average of 13.3 points per game, and that is with two of the games taking place in Boston. Kyrie Irving seems to have lost focus since Game 1, as he is bricking three-pointers and even missing layups. In teams where the series seems over before the last game has been played, the final game is often a laugher. I’m predicting a final score of Milwaukee 121, Boston 107.
