Could this be an early season Eastern Conference Finals preview?
Two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams are set to duke it out in Bean Town, as the Milwaukee Bucks will take on the defending champion Boston Celtics from TD Garden. The two sides split the four-game season series a year ago, with the Bucks losing both matchups on the road by six points. Their last matchup was in Milwaukee on April 6 when Giannis injured his left soleus and missed the playoffs.
Where We’re At
It’s been an up-and-down start to the 2024 season for the Milwaukee Bucks, with a strong opening night performance against the Philadelphia 76ers (minus Joel Embiid and Paul George). The vibes were good heading into their home opener against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, but a 35-point performance by Coby White and 21 total three-pointers from Chicago led to a 133-122 loss. The Bucks followed that up with another bad loss on the road against the Brooklyn Nets, 115-102. Long-time irritant Dennis Schroder had 29 points, while Cam Thomas had 32 in the win.
The Celtics have been rolling just like last year, out to a 3-0 start despite missing former All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis after he had foot surgery in June. Boston took down the New York Knicks by tying an NBA record with 29 three-balls in a 132-109 victory. After that, they’ve taken care of business against the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons. Jayson Tatum seems to have taken motivation from not playing in the Summer Olympics to the league, as he’s putting up averages of 33.0 points (4th in the league), 6.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while shooting 54.7% from the field and 48.6% from beyond the arc.
Injury Report
While we have no official injury report as of this writing, due to this being the second game of a back-to-back for the Bucks, it’s likely Khris Middleton won’t play while he still recovers from off-season surgery on both his ankles.
Update: Khris is a confirmed miss with continued rehab from the ankle surgeries. Giannis is listed as probable with right patella tendinitis.
The Celtics will continue to be without Porzingis as he recovers from off-season foot surgery. Backup wing and former Marquette Golden Eagle Sam Hauser is questionable with lower back pain.
How To Watch
Fan Duel Sports Network Wisconsin and NBA TV at 6:30 PM CDT.
For a matchup of this magnitude, we are bringing back Brian Sampson of Forbes and @BucksFilmRoom! He’ll be live with Jack and Van at 6:15 PM CDT on Playback.
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