After an eight day hiatus, the Celtics are finally back in action tonight in Milwaukee. This could end up being one of their biggest games of the season as they’re still looking to make up ground in the standings. The C’s currently sit fourth in the East and are just a game behind the Pacers.
Milwaukee currently has the best record in the NBA at 43-14. They’re 6.5 games above the Celtics in the standings, and are looking to hold down one of the top two spots in the East. They’ll be on their game tonight as they’re only a game up on the second place Raptors. The Bucks have been one of the hottest teams in the league as of late. They’ve won 8 of their last 10, including wins over the Pacers and Raptors. Other than those two games, the rest had been a bit of a cake walk. It’ll be interesting how they’ll fare tonight against the Celtics who have been just as hot, winning 12 of their last 15.
These two teams have already met twice this year. Both of the meetings have come at the TD Garden. The Celtics were able to take the first game, ending Milwaukee’s perfect start to the season back in November. The Bucks got their revenge in the next game, dominating the Celtics for just about the whole game. However, both Al Horford and Aron Baynes were out for that one.
As far as other games go tonight, the 76ers are playing the Heat down in Philadelphia. Joel Embiid is out with knee soreness for at least a week. It’ll be interesting to see how the Sixers do without their star center.
Starting off on the Right Foot
In the NBA, a lot of people say the second half of the season comes after the all star break, even though mathematically it’s really about three quarters of the way over now. The Celtics have 24 games left before the postseason starts. This game up in Milwaukee is very important for a few reasons.
The first of them is that the C’s could potentially meet up against the Bucks in the playoffs for the second straight season. This season’s meeting would come later on in the postseason though, as the two are both top teams in the conference. A win tonight would be great for getting an edge come playoff time. One thing the Celtics have struggled with since last spring has been winning on the road. If they can pull off the victory against the Bucks, it could give them the confidence needed to steal one on the road later on. The fact that they’d have done it before could make things a lot easier.
The second reason is that the C’s are still trying to climb up the standings. A win against the Bucks will pull them within 5.5 games of the top spot. A few years ago they were about the same amount of games behind the first place Cavaliers and managed to get the top spot. I’m not saying that I think they’ll be able to climb all the way to the top this year, but I think they can certainly improve their current position. Who knows? The Celtics could shake the Bucks up a bit and cause them some issues going forward.
Kyrie Returns
One thing that has been consistent over the last few seasons has been the inability to win on the road without Kyrie. Although, the Celtics were able to shake that habit last Tuesday in Philly. Regardless, Kyrie is back in the lineup tonight after missing a few games with a knee sprain.
Irving has been the main scorer for the Celtics all season, but somehow people think the team is better without him. In his absence the C’s have a record of 10-2, but the wins haven’t come against the best of teams. Usually he rests against lower level teams like the Cavs or Hornets. This game against Milwaukee is going to be one where his true value is shown. Kyrie is a big game player and will certainly bring his best game tonight. This one is on national TV so all of the casuals that don’t know what they’re talking about will get to see the difference he makes.
Last time he played in Milwaukee, Kyrie had quite the game. It was really his first great game in a Celtics uniform. He finished with 24 points and started to show a great chemistry with Al Horford.
This Milwaukee team is very similar to the one from last season. They’ve made a few additions but the core is the same. It’s still Giannis, Middleton, and Bledsoe. The Celtics beat those guys last spring without Kyrie or Hayward. The addition of Kyrie tonight is going to be a difference maker for the Celtics.
Attacking the Weak Link
Since the last time these two teams have played, the Bucks have added a new face to their lineup. They brought in Nikola Mirotic in a three team trade. Mirotic was a big acquisition because of the extra shooting he provides. He’ll be important to stick to when Giannis is taking the ball inside. The Greek Freak will be able to kick it out to Miro for an open three if the C’s over commit.
As much as Nikola adds to the Bucks on offense, he lacks quite a bit on the defensive end. He’s slow and keep keep up with other wings. He’s a player that the Celtics have exploited quite a bit in the past. You can take the games early this season against the Pelicans for example. In both of those games, Marcus Morris gave Mirotic the work on the offensive end. Morris was the player that Miro guarded the most over the two games. Mook shot 60% from the field, and 42% from deep.
With the way that the wings have been playing for the Celtics lately, they’ll be able to exploit Mirotic’s poor defense quite a bit. Jayson Tatum, Marcus Morris, Jaylen Brown, and Gordon Hayward have all bee pretty good lately. Hayward is questionable for tonight with a sprained ankle, but even if he doesn’t play the C’s have plenty of options. All of the other guys that I mentioned had decent nights against the Pistons last game. Hopefully they’ll be able to carry over that momentum to tonight’s game.
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