Celtics vs Bucks Picks and Odds

• Milwaukee and Boston meet in the second game of a back-to-back on Friday, March 26th
• The Bucks won Wednesday’s contest by two points against the C’s
• Get our odds, preview, and best bet below

The red-hot Milwaukee Bucks welcome Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics to Fiserv Forum once again on Friday, March 26th, tip-off 7:30pm ET.

Milwaukee is on an absolute roll, currently on an eight-game winning streak. The C’s meanwhile, have lost back-to-back games as they desperately try to stay in the playoff picture. Their trade deadline acquisition of Orlando Magic swingman Evan Fournier should give them some much-needed offensive depth, though.

The Bucks pulled out a close win over Boston on Wednesday evening by a score of 121-119.

Bucks vs Celtics Odds

Odds taken March 25

Will Deadline Moves Help Celtics?

GM Danny Ainge made it clear that being active at the trade deadline would be important for the C’s and by no surprise, they were. The organization shipped off most notably Daniel Theis and Jeff Teague, while bringing in Fournier from the Magic and also acquiring two big men in Mo Wagner and Luke Kornet.

On paper, none of these mean much, with the exception of Fournier. He’s currently in the midst of a career year, where the Frenchman is averaging 19.7 points and 3.7 dimes per game. His ability to get buckets should take some of the stress off Tatum and Brown to do all the heavy lifting.

Teams are finalizing the deal now, source tells ESPN. https://t.co/Rc27IxxhnB

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021

Boston certainly needs a spark right now before their season gets too far out of reach. The C’s are winners of just two of their last eight games and things won’t get any easier on Friday against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the surging Bucks.

Wednesday’s matchup with their Eastern Conference rivals was a dogfight until the very end, but the Celtics just came up short. They made an impressive comeback after being down 90-65 midway through the third quarter, with Theis missing an open three in the final seconds of the game that would have put his team ahead for good.

Boston did contain the Greek Freak to just 13 points, but his supporting cast stepped up, with Khris Middleton collecting a team-high 27. As for the C’s, Tatum also had an off night with only 18 points, while Brown dropped 24.

It will be important for Brad Stevens’ team to make sure they tighten up their defense early on in this next meeting because frankly, Milwaukee usually doesn’t give up such a big lead. It’s unknown if Fournier will be ready to suit up just yet, but if he is, it would be a nice boost to the Celtics lineup.

Milwaukee Looking Solid

The Bucks are arguably the hottest team in the association right now and just 1.5 games off the Philadelphia 76ers for top spot in the Eastern Conference. They’ve been completely dominant throughout their last 10 contests with a 9-1 record while scoring just under 120 points per game during that span.

Although Milwaukee allowed Boston to claw back into the game on Wednesday, it was a huge positive to see how well Antetokounmpo’s teammates picked him up. The entire rotation did their part, with six different players scoring 13 or more points.

But the more impressive win for the Bucks was actually on Monday against the Pacers, where the reigning MVP didn’t play. Mike Budenholzer’s squad destroyed Indiana 140-113 without their best guy on the floor.

Jrue Holiday was brilliant, dishing out 14 assists and erupting for 28 points. Again, it was an all-around team win with another six Bucks scoring in double-digits. Milwaukee certainly has championship aspirations and if they can all do their part like this on a more consistent basis and not put everything on Antetokounmpo’s shoulders, the Bucks could have a real shot.

Déjà vu.

Run it back in 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/5Yokn6azN4

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 25, 2021

Milwaukee has looked unstoppable on home court as well, going 18-5. Against East opponents, they also have an 18-7 record.

Best Bet

The Celtics took the Bucks the distance a night ago and desperately need a win. But, the trends are really not in their favor. Boston is just 8-9 as ATS underdogs and a dismal 8-16 against the spread on the road.

However, with the deadline having passed, this is seriously crunch time. I think Tatum and co. will come out and break Milwaukee’s unbeaten run here, whether Fournier plays or not. They were so close to completing the comeback on Wednesday and this time around, the C’s will get it done.

Pick: Boston Celtics ATS +5.5 (-106)