NBA Picks 3/20 – Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics

NBA Picks 3/20 – Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics

Two of the NBA’s best teams square off tonight as the Milwaukee Bucks (44-24) visit the Boston Celtics (54-14) at TD Garden on ESPN. Boston is a 7-point favorite and the total is 225. Tonight’s game is the third of four meetings, the teams split the first two games with the home team winning each contest. Boston held off visiting Milwaukee 119-116 on Nov. 22 as Jaylen Brown finished with a team-high 26 points. Milwaukee returned the favor with a 135-102 shellacking of Boston on Jan. 11 powered by a Bucks 25-0 run midway through the first half. Milwaukee led 75-38 at halftime of that game.

Milwaukee is coming off an impressive 140-129 win over the visiting Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon. They won the game without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was out with left hamstring soreness. Milwaukee knocked down 24 three-pointers in the win while Damian Lillard and Bobby Portis each scored 31 points. Boston is coming off a 119-94 drubbing of the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, they’ve won six straight games and 17 of their last 19 games. 

GAME STORYLINES: MILWAUKEE

After superstar Giannis Antetokounpo finally broke through and led the Milwaukee Bucks to the franchise’s second NBA title in 2020-21, the Bucks seemed poised to win more titles and make more finals appearances in the immediate future. But the last two seasons have ended in disappointment with the Bucks losing to Boston in the second round in 2022 and then getting ousted by the No. 8 seed Miami Heat in just 5 games last season.  

The shortcomings of the last two seasons have led to Milwaukee firing 2 head coaches within the last calendar year. Bud Budenholzer was fired on May 5, 2023 after Milwaukee’s upset loss to Miami in the playoffs. His replacement, Adrian Griffin, was fired this season after just 43 games on Jan. 24. Griffin had guided Milwaukee to a 30-13 record which left a number of people wondering why he got fired. Doc Rivers was officially named the head coach on Jan. 26. His hiring seemed to polarize the Hot Take community for a few weeks as his coaching ability came under fire. 

Milwaukee also made eye-opening moves on the court as well when they acquired 7-time All-Star and 7-time All-NBA guard Damian Lillard from Porland on Sep. 27 in a three-way trade. Milwaukee gave up All-NBA defender/former All-Star Jrue Holiday and double-digit scorer Grayson Allen as part of the deal to land Lillard. The loss of Holiday and Allen has caused Milwaukee’s defense to decline this season which may be the reason Adrian Griffin was fired.

Despite the upheaval involving the head coaching position and players leaving, Giannis Antetokounmpo remains at the top of his game in his 13th NBA season. The 29-year-old, 8-time All-Star is 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds,  6.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1 block while shooting a career-best 61.6 percent from the field through 64 games. Damian Lillard is averaging 24.4 points, 7 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1 steal across 63 games in his first season with Milwaukee. 

Forwards Khris Middleton (15 pts, 5.1 asts, 4.3 rebs, 48.8% from 2) and Bobby Portis (13.4 pts, 7.1 rebs, 50.4% from 2) along with center Brook Lopez (12.6 pts, 5.4 rebs, 2.5 blks, 47.8% from 2) provide a strong foundation of scoring, three-point shooting and defense for Giannis and Lillard. Middleton returned to action last Sunday against Phoenix after missing the previous 16 games with an ankle injury. If Middleton remains healthy for the rest of the season, Milwaukee is a legitimate threat to win the NBA title.

GAME STORYLINES: BOSTON

At 54-14, the Boston Celtics have separated themselves from the rest of the NBA and are the favorites (-220) to win the NBA title. Boston is on pace to have their most wins since the 2007-08 Celtics team that won the NBA championship. The Celtics are also on a trajectory of having one of the most prolific offenses of all time. They’ve hit 20 three-pointers in four consecutive games, no other team in NBA history has done that. Boston has also won 14 games by 25 or more points which is 1 shy of the NBA record.

Boston is led by the terrific All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The 26-year-old, five-time All-Star Tatum is averaging 27.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1 steal on 47.4 percent shooting from the field and is knocking down 3.2 threes per game. Last season, Tatum became the first player in Celtics history to average 30 ppg. The previous franchise high was Larry Bird’s 29.8 ppg during the 1987-88 season. The 27-year-old Brown is averaging 23.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals on 50.4 percent shooting from the field across 61 games. He was named an All-Star for the second time in his career this season.

Big man Kristaps Porzingis (20.4 pts, 7.1 rebs, 1.8 blks, 51.9% from 2, 2 threes per game), former All-Star Jrue Holiday (12.8 pts, 5.4 rebs, 4.9 asts, 48.5% from 2, 44.5% from 3) and guard Derrick White (15.2 pts, 5.1 asts, 4.2 rebs, 1.3 blks, 1.1 stls, 46.4% from 2, 40.3% from 3) round out the best and most explosive starting five in the NBA. Porzingis and Holiday were acquired in trades during the offseason to provide more scoring and shooting options outside of Tatum and Brown. Despite being the third or fourth option for the team on most nights, White is on pace to have career-high numbers in every statistical category. 

The trio of sharpshooting swingman Sam Hauser (8.4 pts, 3.4 rebs, 43.9% from three, 2.4 threes per game), veteran power forward/ center Al Horford (8.3 pts, 6.5 rebs, 1 blk, 49.9% from 2, 41.1% from 3) and guard Payton Pritchard (8.3 pts, 2.9 asts, 38.3% from 3) have been tremendous in supporting roles off the bench or in spot starts. Hauser went 10-for-13 from beyond the arc and finished with 30 points in his last game at Washington where he got the start. Hauser has averaged 12.1 ppg, 5 rebs and 2 asts in 8 starts this season. The 37-year-old Horford continues to supply a consistent level of three-point shooting and strong defense in his 17th NBA season.

THE PICK: BOSTON (-7)

Boston is in the midst of a historic season and a historic run of torrid 3-point shooting. Milwaukee will just be the latest team to get hammered by them in front of a national television audience, Lay the Points and take the Celtics!