It’s Win Or Go Home For Bucks and Celtics in Decisive Game 7

• It’s a Game 7 winner-take-all between the Bucks and Celtics
• Will Boston hold court at home, or will Milwaukee win the first road game of the series?
• Can Giannis carry over his dominant performance in a one-game playoff?

It’s the end of the line, and come Game 7 Saturday, we’ll find out if it’s going to be the Milwaukee Bucks or the Boston Celtics that will advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

The Bucks continued the trend of the home team holding court all series, using a late fourth quarter push in Game 6 to outlast the Celtics.

After a much-maligned performance the last time out, Giannis Antetokounmpo came up big in Game 6, leaving no doubt that he is the best player in this series, and one of the top stars in the NBA.

Khris Middleton has emerged as a legitimate second banana for the Bucks. He’s now averaging 23.5 points and 5.7 rebounds for the series, including 59% shooting from the field and an even hotter 62.5% from deep.

As for the Celtics, they were literally beaten up and run off the floor at the same time. Boston was pounded in the paint, with the Bucks outscoring them 50-36, outrebounding them 48-39 and watching them breeze by them in transition, where they were outscored 34-6.

Jayson Tatum led the way with 22 points, but an off night from Terry Rozier (5-17 from the field) and Jaylen Brown (6-15 from the field, 1-6 from beyond the arc) spelled their doom. As a team, they finished a paltry 10-36 from deep, just a 27.8% clip.

Perhaps the most disheartening was that, other than Shane Larkin, who was a +1 on the court in his time, every other Celtics’ plus-minus was nothing greater than zero.

Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics Regular Season Team Stats

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

Head-to-Head Results

Notable Injuries and Absences

 Straight Up Advice: Celtics (107-99)

Both teams’ splits from home and away this series are heavily skewed to the home side, particularly for the Celtics, who have topped 100 points in all three games at home, and failed to crack 100 on the road, in what amounts to a 15-point scoring swing in both gyms.

The Celtics have topped 100 points in all three games at home, and failed to crack 100 on the road, in what amounts to a 15-point scoring swing in both gyms.

Expect Boston to maintain that upward trend, particularly from three-point range, where they are shooting nearly 39 percent at TD Garden.

There a couple of small stats that the Bucks do so well at home that would benefit them in this one-game showdown. The first is turnovers. They average about 15 a game in Boston, a full five turnovers less than at the Bradley Center.

They’re also far more aggressive in the paint, putting up nearly 10 blocks a game in Milwaukee, a number that gets cut in half on the famed parquet floor.

Winning those stat boxes might be enough to keep them in the game, and let Giannis freak them home and into Round 2.

But in the end, the home team in these deciding games usually get better all-around production from its role players. Considering that’s all Boston has left on its roster, their effort and hard work should be enough to outlast Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

Team Trends

Additional SU Picks (April 28th)

Saturday also kicks off the NBA’s second round, and it should be a fantastic one from the Bay area, as the Pelicans clash with the Warriors.