Milwaukee at Boston – Game 2
BOS leads 1-0
Time: 7 PM CT (TNT)
Spread: BOS -2
Total: 198.5
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Milwaukee Bucks still have the weight of the world on them, as the Bucks just cannot manage to secure playoff victories. While the Bucks are the lower seed in this matchup, many (including yours truly) were expecting a series victory against a Boston Celtics team playing without superstar Kyrie Irving. Instead, his backup Terry Rozier stepped up to deliver a knockout blow with an impressive clutch performance as the Celtics took a 1-0 in the Best of Seven series. Boston enters Game 2 as 2-point favorites, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and company attempt to regroup and even the series before it heads to Milwaukee.
And at this point, Antetokoumpo is likely wondering what more he has to do to secure a ‘W.’ The Greek Freak had 35 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, but still finished -5 for his 45 minutes of play. Khris Middleton’s miracle shot with 0.5 on the clock was all in vain as the Bucks were bested in overtime 14-8. Why? Because outside of that stellar tandem, the rest of the Bucks did close to nothing.
The trio of starters John Henson, Eric Bledsoe and Tony Snell combined for just 18 points between them all, and Bledsoe’s defense on Rozier was sorely lacking the entire game. Rozier scored 23 in his playoff debut, doing his best Kyrie impression, and Jaylen Brown played superbly on both ends of the court, finishing with 20 points, four assists, four rebounds, a steal and a block in 46 minutes (!) of play.
The Bucks did get a nice contribution from last year’s Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brodgon off the bench, as he scored 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting, but the rest of the second unit was ineffective and attempted just seven field goals, connecting on three. The Bucks shot 48 percent in the game but turned the ball over a ridiculous 20 times, which enabled Boston to get the better of them despite shooting just 41 percent from the field itself.
The Celtics also got a monster game from Al Horford, as he scored 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out four assists and played stellar defense in coming up with five steals/blocks in 44 minutes of play.
Horford perhaps is the most underrated player in the league, and his creation from the high post offsets the loss of Irving more than many might even realize. Jayson Tatum had a nice playoff debut in his own right, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while also managing three steals and a block. The C’s might be without Irving, but it is certainly not without hope— not while the Bucks are struggling to find production from any players outside of Middleton and Giannis…
ATS TRENDS
| Milwaukee | |
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| Boston | |
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