The Milwaukee Bucks got off to a rocky start in their 2019 Eastern Conference seminfinals matchup with the Boston Celtics, losing Game 1 by a score of 112-90. However, the No. 1 seed in the East responded with their own dominant victory in Game 2, beating the Celtics 123-102. Now the series heads to Boston's TD Garden, where Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night at 8 p.m. ET. Boston is listed as a two-point favorite with the over-under for total points scored at 219 in the latest Celtics vs. Bucks odds. Giannis Antetokounmpo will look to lead the upstart Bucks past the ensemble cast of Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Gordon Hayward, but before you make your Celtics vs. Bucks picks you'll definitely want to check out the 2019 NBA playoff predictions from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, is crushing its NBA picks. It entered Week 28 of the 2018-19 NBA season with a sterling record on its top-rated picks, returning more than $3,100 in profit to anybody following them. And it has been particularly red-hot on its A-rated NBA money line picks, entering Week 28 on a strong 85-60 run. Anybody who has followed it is way up.
Now, it has set its sights on Game 3 of Celtics vs. Bucks. We can tell you it's leaning under, but it also says one side of the spread cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.
Entering Friday's pivotal Game 3 matchup, the model knows that Irving is the key for the Celtics. In the Game 1 win, Irving was able to break Milwaukee's defense down off the dribble to create his own shot, hitting 12-of-21 from the floor with 26 points and 11 assists. In Game 2, he managed just nine points on 4-of-18 shooting and had just four assists, so which Irving shows up could determine if Boston is able to win on its home floor Friday night.
The good news for Celtics fans is that he's been much more comfortable at home so far this postseason. Against the Pacers in the first round, Irving averaged 28.5 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting from the floor and 53.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line. If Irving can create offensively for Boston, Milwaukee will have a tough time on the road Friday night.
But just because Irving and the Celtics have been impressive at home doesn't mean they'll cover the Celtics vs. Bucks spread Friday night.
The Bucks were a nightmare for the Celtics' offense on their way to leveling the series, holding them to 39.5 percent shooting and beating them 54-45 on the boards. Antetokounmpo had a defensive rating of 94, while Nikola Mirotic did a surprising job inside with a defensive rating of 87 to make life difficult on Boston.
On the other end of the floor, the Bucks knocked down a staggering 20-of-47 from 3-point range, with Khris Middleton hitting seven 3-pointers on his way to 28 points. Antetokounmpo also had 28.
Who wins Game 3 of Bucks vs. Celtics? And which side of the spread can you bank on well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Bucks vs. Celtics spread you should be all over Friday, all from the model that's up more than $3,100 on NBA picks this season.
