The Milwaukee Bucks visit the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday night.
Friday, May 3 at 8:00 PM ET
TD Garden
Coverage: ESPN
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by Bookmaker
- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics (-2 at -115)
- Over/Under: 219.5 at -110
Kyrie Irving Has a Game to Forget
After a tough 112-90 home loss in Game 1, many questioned how the Bucks would respond to what MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo called one of their worst setbacks this season.
The Bucks answered with an impressive 123-102 win in Game 2 last Tuesday after taking control with a 24-2 run in the third quarter gave them a 98-73 heading into the final 12 minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led five players in double figures with 29 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals and Khris Middleton had 28 points and seven rebounds and he was 7-for-10 from beyond the arc.
The Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals last year despite being without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward and with both of them back they swept the Pacers in the first round and crushed the Bucks in Game 1 but Kyrie Irving struggled last Tuesday.
Irving led the Celtics in Game 1 with 26 points on 12 of 21 shooting and he also had 11 assists and seven rebounds in 33 minutes but he missed six straight shots to start Game 2 and finished with just nine points, five rebounds and four assists, going 4-for-18 from the field and 1-for-5 from beyond the arc. The Celtics have plenty of scorers but Game 2 showed what this team can look like if Irving has an off night.
Bucks vs. Celtics Trends and Prediction
The Milwaukee Bucks are:
- 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games against a team with a home winning percentage above .600
- 8-2-2 ATS in their last 12 games playing with two days of rest
- 4-1 ATS in their last five games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game
- 21-7-1 ATS in their last 29 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points
- 20-7-1 ATS in their last 28 road games
- 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 road games against a team with a winning home record
The Boston Celtics are:
- 1-4 ATS in their last five home games against a team with a winning road record
- 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 home games
- 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games playing with two days of rest
The Bucks shot poorly from downtown in Game 1, making just 13 of their 39 attempts (33.3 percent) but in Game 2 they made 20 of 47 3-point shots (42.6 percent) to set a franchise record.
The Celtics had little resistance in Game 1, shooting 54.0 percent from the field (47-for-87) and 41.9 percent from 3-point range (13-for-31) but the Bucks flipped the script in Game 2, holding them to just 34-for-86 shooting (39.5 percent) and 10-for-28 from beyond the arc (35.7 percent).
If the Bucks play this well on defense they should steal this game.
Pick: Bucks +2
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