Game 3 was a heartbreaker for Boston Celtics fans, who saw their team go down 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals vs. the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday afternoon at the Fiserv Forum.
Marcus Smart was arguably fouled on a would-be game-tying 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds remaining on the clock with Boston down by three points. He sunk the first free throw and missed the second, but the Cs couldn’t capitalize on their offensive rebounds. Al Horford’s game-tying lay-up didn’t leave his hand in time, and home-court advantage is once again lost after the 103-101 Bucks lead went final.
Game 4 was like Game 1, in that the play from Ime Udoka’s Cs was not acceptable. Jayson Tatum was the Celtics star unable to get anything going much like Jaylen Brown was in the series opener. In both instances, it was proven that Boston needs both stars to be at their best, or near their best, to beat the Bucks.
Now, the Cs face a critical Game 4 that may well determine whether or not Banner 18 is on the table at all in 2022.
Hardwood Houdini lays a prediction and provides the odds and spread for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals’ No. 2-No. 3 TNT-televised matchup at the Fiserv Forum on Monday:
Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee odds, spread, over/under
According to WynnBet, the Celtics are 1-point underdogs against the Bucks on the road. Milwaukee is a -115 favorite at home, with the Cs moneyline set at -105. The over/under for the game has been placed at 211.5 points.
Celtics vs. Bucks prediction
Vegas sees this game as a virtual pick ’em, and after the way Game 3 went down, it’s not hard to see why. The over/under has crept down even closer to 200, as the under continues to be the play in this series.
Is it time to switch over to the…over? The Houdini doesn’t think so. To the under we lean once more.