Many people thought that this would be one of the best series of the entire playoffs, but it could be the first semifinal series to come to an end. The Milwaukee Bucks went into Boston and stole both games from the Celtics, and could now wrap up the series in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Boston came into the 2018-19 season as the preseason favorites in the Eastern Conference, while the Bucks are the top overall seed in the NBA Playoffs.
The Boston Celtics came away with a 112-90 victory in Game 1 of the series, but things have gone south in a hurry for them. Milwaukee blew out Boston with a convincing win in Game 2, then stunned the Celtics in back-to-back games to take a 3-1 series lead. The Bucks look like a team that could win an NBA Championship. Milwaukee is an -8.5 point favorite over Boston in Game 5 of the series.
Bucks Getting Scoring From Bench
The Milwaukee Bucks were the highest scoring team in the NBA during the regular season, and their depth was a big reason why. Even though the Bucks are a little short-handed in this series, their bench came through with 32 points in the Game 4 victory. Milwaukee is making close to 12 three-pointers per game during the playoffs and is shooting 37 percent from deep.
Depth is a great thing to have in the NBA, but it is also great to have one of the best players in the world on your roster. Giannis Antetokounmpo is putting up eye-popping stats in the postseason that includes 29 points and 11 rebounds per game. The “Greek Freak” made sure that the Bucks would have a 3-1 series lead when they came back home. Antetokounmpo poured in 39 points and had 16 rebounds in the Game 4 win.
Celtics Are a Mess on Offense
While the Milwaukee Bucks are clicking on the offensive end of the floor, the opposite can be said for the Boston Celtics. The Celtics went just 9-41 from the three-point line in Game 4 of the series, and they got almost no production from their bench. Boston was viewed as one of the deepest teams in the NBA, but their bench gave them just seven points in the loss. The Celtics have to make a ton of adjustments in a hurry to save their season.
Point guard Kyrie Irving and forward Jayson Tatum have also let down this Celtics team in a big way in this series. Irving has made just 19 of 62 shots during the three-game losing streak and could be playing in his final game as a Boston Celtic. Jayson Tatum was the star for the Celtics in the playoffs a season ago but is averaging just 15 points per game this postseason. Irving and Tatum will have a ton of pressure on them to deliver on Wednesday night.
Milwaukee Cruises to Series Win
You would think that the Celtics would be desperate to do whatever they can to extend the series, but this might not be the case. The Celtics look like a team that knows that their season is about to end, and they might throw in the towel early in this one. Milwaukee is playing with a ton of momentum, and they are going to cruise in this one. Bet the Milwaukee Bucks -9.5 over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the series.
