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Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview: Can the Celtics capture a must-win Game 2 at home?
The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics face off in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals tonight. After falling 101-89 in Game 1, the Boston Celtics find themselves in a must-win game at home. The Milwaukee Bucks will try to neutralize Boston's homecourt advantage tonight by getting out to an early lead.
The Celtics must treat this as a Game 7, because there is little hope of winning the series if they lose tonight. Going back to the defending champion's homecourt down 2-0 is the worst possible position a team could put themselves in. Expect the Celtics to come out with a fire lit under them in front of their home fans tonight.
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Below, you will find a brief preview of each team followed by a prediction for the game.
"TONIGHT. Round 2 Game 2."- @celtics
Milwaukee Bucks Preview:
"Levitate."- @Bucks
After a 4-1 series win over the Chicago Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks carried their momentum to Boston and took the Game 1 victory. The Bucks now have an opportunity to put the Celtics into a 2-0 series hole and play the next two games in their own arena.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for Milwaukee in Game 1, finishing with a triple-double. Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, and Grayson Allen also contributed greatly towards the Bucks' victory. Although they were victorious, the Bucks offense was not as efficient as they wanted.
As a team, Milwaukee shot 41.1% from the field and Giannis Antetokounmpo shot 36%. The Bucks did their best work on the defensive side of the court in Game 1. They held Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart all under 50% from both the field and three-point range. Milwaukee will need the same defensive effort in tonight's game to walk away from Boston with a 2-0 series lead.
Boston Celtics Preview:
"Jayson Tatum getting educated that Giannis is not Durant"- @barstoolsports
The Boston Celtics defense has been their anchor throughout the season, but it was the offense that let them down in the first game. The Celtics shot 33.3% from the field and 36% from 3-point range on 50 attempts. They must be more efficient in tonight's game to avoid another loss.
This starts with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart. The three accounted for 43 of Boston's 84 shots in Game 1, but combined for a terrible 13-43 shooting performance. The Boston defense still played well, seeing that they held the Bucks to only 101 points. However, it's very hard to win a basketball game when your team shoots below 40%.
The key to victory tonight for the Celtics is to not panic. Being down 1-0 in a series isn't the worst thing in the world. Boston needs to keep doing the things that have made them successful this season, they just need to shoot the ball better tonight.
Prediction/Pick: LEAN Boston Celtics 1H -2.5 (-142)
Going with a heavy lean on Boston rather than an official pick because there are just so many different ways this game could play out. However, the Celtics should perform far better than they did in Game 1. With an everso important game at home tonight, expect the Celtics to come out hot and cover the 1st half spread.
