Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks Betting Preview/Prop Picks

Game 3 of an exciting series is going down today. The Boston Celtics won Game 2 of the series, bringing it to a 1-1 tie. Tonight, they leave Boston and head to Milwaukee to play the Bucks again.

The defense has been the key to the Celtics' success so far, but can they stop Giannis again? Or could they run into trouble now that the Bucks are back on their home court?

The Milwaukee Bucks took a step back in the Game 2 loss. Their offense sputtered, and they never regained control of the game. They allowed the Celtics to control the pace as well, which is a big mistake.

As they enter Game 3, Milwaukee will try to do a lot of things differently this time. They'll begin by getting a quick start on offense and trying to play better defense. 

Boston Celtics: Defense is the first key to winning this game

Everyone knows that the Celtics have the potential to be a great scoring offense. However, the key that matters most in this game is how they perform on defense.

In Game 2, they held the Bucks to just 86 points. Sure, Giannis led the Bucks with 28 points, but the rest of the team didn't contribute much. This is exactly what Boston needs to do to win tonight's game.

After they've established their dominance on defense, they can focus on offense. Jaylen Brown had an incredible outing in Game 2, putting up 30 points and leading the team in scoring.

If Brown and Tatum can come together again tonight, we could see the same outcome. They only come in as 1.5-point underdogs here, so they definitely have a chance. 

Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis & Co. look to bounce back tonight

As one of the top-scoring teams in the NBA, it's shocking to see what the Bucks have averaged this series. Over the course of this series, the Bucks have averaged just 93.5 points per game.

This is a drastic change from their regular-season average of 115 points per game. To get back to that kind of scoring, they need to control the pace of the game.

If the Bucks play fast, they can keep the Celtics on their heels. This will give Boston less time to establish their defense and put the Bucks in the driver's seat. Giannis can work the inside better than many power forwards in the NBA.

Pitting him against the smaller Jayson Tatum will be the best bet for the Bucks. The same way they won Game 1 is how they'll win this series.

Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks Betting Pick

When looking at each of these teams, they have a lot of similarities. They can both play really well offensively and defensively.

They also each have one player that usually determines the outcomes of their games. However, with the Bucks playing at home, they have a distinct advantage over the Celtics. 

Considering they'll only need to cover 1.5-points, the Bucks are the best bet here. They're at home; they're also coming off of a loss, giving them more motivation.

When betting on the total, we'll take the over 213 since we know that each of these offenses can be great. The total has also gone over in six of Boston's last six games when playing on the road against Milwaukee.

DunkelIndex Free Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -1.5, OVER

Prop Picks

Milwaukee (-110) OVER 107.5 Points

Milwaukee is averaging 115.5 points per game on offense, which ranks No. 3 in the league, while shooting 36.6 percent from 3-point range, which ranks No. 5. Scores have gone OVER in each of the Bucks’ last six home games versus Boston.

With Dunkel predicting a Milwaukee victory by the score of 112-106, take the Bucks (-110) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 107.5 points against the Celtics.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (+100) OVER 30.5 Points

Antetokounmpo averaged 29.9 points per game during the regular season, which ranked No. 1 on the Bucks and No. 2 in the league. That average increased to 31.1 points per game at home and 31.1 points per game in Milwaukee wins.

With Dunkel predicting a Bucks victory at home, take Antetokounmpo (+100) to finish OVER his Vegas point total of 30.5 points against Boston.

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