The NBA Playoffs Second Round Playoff Games have arrived as Pickswise will be handing out daily winning NBA picks starting on Sunday. With over a decade of combined winning experience, Pickswise is your number one NBA second round playoff resource to win. To kick off the second round playoff games, the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks from the Eastern Conference will go toe to toe. Enjoy these free NBA second round playoff predictions? Give @Pickswise a follow and get a first hand-look on his daily research.
Celtics vs. Bucks Second Round Playoff Predictions
Game 1: Celtics vs. Bucks
Line: Bucks -310
Pickswise Expert Picks: Bucks WIN!
Boston and Milwaukee both swept their opening round series. Milwaukee dominated against Detroit while Boston showed an ability to close games…or Indiana just collapsed under the pressure. Probably a bit of both. Nevertheless they come into this series as the underdogs and it is interesting because pre-season most might have pegged this second round tilt but had the roles reversed. Boston has the talent to beat the Bucks but they are still without Marcus Smart, a key defender. They are going to have to shoot well and defend well especially against Giannis and G1 will be interesting to see how they do at either. Especially who gets the defensive assignment.
Milwaukee is a pretty significant favorite and will not have to change their game in the least. They can and will play through Giannis and rely on outside shooting to create the space he needs to operate. Simple formula and it will get the G1 win.
Line: Bucks -300
Pickswise Expert Picks: Celtics WIN!
It is just one game but the Bucks look like they are in trouble. Things were pretty even at the half but Boston took control in the second and that is not supposed to happen on the road. Milwaukee got a lame game from Giannis and three of their five starters did not even break 6 points. Boston was able to control the Greek Freak in ways we have not seen very often and the rest of this team is just not elite. As good as Boston’s defense was they were also super sharp on offense, shooting 54% for the game against a good Milwaukee D. They got great balance which bodes well for them – Rozier and Hayward scored 24 off the bench – meaning that Kyrie Irving did not have to do too much. Boston played really well in the opener while Milwaukee did not.
There is bound to be some regression on both sides and the Bucks are still at -7 for game two. I kind of feel like they could be coming apart though and recommend hitting on Boston to go up 2-0.
Game 3: Celtics vs. Bucks
Line: Celtics -135
Pickswise Expert Picks: Celtics WIN!
The Bucks evened things up in G2 and now head to Boston. They made a tactical change by inserting Niko Mirotic into the starting lineup. His production wasn’t great but you can’t argue with the overall results. He helps spread the floor and that has tons of value. Giannis, Middleton and Eric Bledsoe all had 20+ points. Putting him in the lineup does take something away from the bench though. Just one reserve scored more than 5 points. Now it is Boston’s turn to counter and they have to be happy with a split on the road. Boston is a small favorite in this one even though their scoring kind of went dry in game two.
Kyrie Irving scored a playoff low 9 points and nobody stepped up into that void. Marcus Morris and Al Horford were the only players who were even close to normal production and that is going to have to change if they want to have any chance of continuing what they started in game one. Returning home will help and you do not have to pay a huge premium. I like the coach to come up with enough counters and inspiration Take Boston.
Game 4: Celtics vs. Bucks
Line: Celtics -120
Pickswise Expert Picks: Celtics WIN!
Milwaukee was sharp in game three at Boston and took the lead in the series. Instead of getting a spirited effort at home the Celtics were pretty flat and now they have to crank it up. Milwaukee got an easy road win thanks to monster performances off the bench from George Hill and Pat Connaughton. Expecting that again on the road will be tough. By the way that Greek Freak guy really good too with 32 points and 13 board. Milwaukee can play loose in this one. In G3 Boston made it respectable with a later flourish but they were not really in the game. While the Bucks bench was lighting it up their own really struggled – Terry Rozier had 0 points. It was nice to see Jayson Tatum finally wake up with 20 and 11 but they need more from everyone if they are going to even up the series. At home they should get it. I like Boston again in game four.
Line: Bucks -430
Pickswise Expert Picks: Bucks WIN!
The Celtics are not only facing elimination but they have lost three straight. They hit the road needing to find something different to give themselves a chance. I think they have two options and I am not sure either is great. The first is to go super physical and dare the refs to stop them. It might work for a game and if they can get the series back home then who knows. The other is to let loose offensively. Get Kyrie going and play him with Terry Rozier and force the action. Also, get out and run like crazy. They are not getting much against the Bucks set defense. This strategy might work.
The Celtics have offensive talent and are especially loaded on the perimeter. The group as a whole has not played great but they need to increase the opportunities for them and hope for the best. I still think it is not enough and Milwaukee wins at home and advances. This game has the largest spread of the series by the way.
