Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 25/12/2022, 03:13  by Joseph King | Modified on 25/12/2022 at 03:14 in NBA Predictions

The third game of a packed Christmas Day schedule sees the Milwaukee Bucks heading on the road to face off against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden. This is a true heavyweight matchup between the two current favorites for the NBA title in what is being billed as a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview. The Celtics enter this showdown as the toast of the NBA as they sit atop the Eastern Conference and also hold the league’s best record with 23 wins and 10 losses. Boston’s last game was a much needed 121-109 win over the Timberwolves, a result which snapped an out-of-character three game losing streak. They’ll be hoping the positive momentum can carry over into this one in what is one of the more important regular season games on the schedule. 

Not far behind is the Bucks who sit second in the East and have the NBA’s second best record at 22 wins and 10 losses. Milwaukee are coming off a 118-110 loss to the red-hot Brooklyn Nets and have now dropped their last two games in a row, both on the road. This will be the fourth of a five game road trip with a matchup against Chicago on Wednesday closing things out before they return home to face the Timberwolves. This is the first of three scheduled meetings between these two teams in the regular season although it certainly would not come as a surprise if they met at some point in the playoffs.

The oddsmakers have the Celtics listed as favorites for this game which is understandable given their success on their home court this season. Boston has won 12 of their 17 home games so far and have the pretty significant advantage of being in the middle of a seven game home stand. That means that the Boston players won’t have to deal with travel, sleeping in a hotel bed, constantly changing arenas and getting to spend Christmas Eve with their families. The Bucks, on the other hand, are in the midst of a lengthy road trip which could play a factor. Milwaukee are sitting just above .500 on the year when playing as the road team, with eight wins and seven losses from their 15 games.