Christmas Day is an important date on the NBA calendar every year, and this season is no exception even with it falling on an NFL Sunday. There will be five marquee matchups in the Association, including an Eastern Conference semifinals rematch between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
These two teams are not only pacing the Eastern Conference through the first few months of the year, but they also boast the best records in the entire league. Boston enters Sunday’s main attraction with a 23-10 overall record, while Milwaukee is 22-10 ahead of this battle in the TD Garden.
Unsurprisingly, these two teams currently lead all relevant futures markets. The Celtics are the favorite to win the championship with a price of +310 at Caesars Sportsbook, while the Bucks are priced at +550. Boston is +180 to win the Eastern Conference for the second year in a row, though Milwaukee is +230.
This will be the first of three regular-season meetings between these two teams, and it could serve as a litmus test ahead of a potential playoff series matchup. The Celtics will travel to Milwaukee on Feb. 14 and March 30, but this year’s Christmas Day showdown might have a bigger impact on narratives and the futures market.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, they are in a bit of a rut — at least by their lofty standards — entering this matchup. Boston earned a 121-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, which snapped a three-game skid and the team’s longest losing streak of the season. The Celtics have dropped five of their last seven games, including a pair of home losses to the Orlando Magic.
The Bucks enter this holiday hoops battle on a two-game skid after dropping road games to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets. They have won just three of their previous seven contests.
At Caesars Sportsbook, Boston is considered a 4.5-point favorite against Milwaukee with an over/under of 225.5. Bettors can get a +162 price on the moneyline with the Bucks but would have to lay -195 juice to back the Celtics outright.
For the season, Boston is 19-14 against the spread with the fifth-best cover rate (57.6%) in the league. Milwaukee is 17-13-2, ranking ninth with a cover rate of 56.7%. The Celtics are 16-15-2 to the over, and the Bucks have a 16-16 clip on totals entering this weekend.
These two squads met on Christmas Day last year, in which the Bucks overcame a 19-point deficit to earn a 117-113 win over the Celtics. Boston and Milwaukee then went the distance in a seven-game series, with every night being a battle.
After unwrapping our presents from Santa, this game will be a must-watch when it begins at 5 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN. With neither team having much of an edge entering this matchup, bettors would be wise to side with the home (and better) team in this one.
Prediction: Celtics 116, Bucks 110