Bucks vs. Celtics Game 4 Preview: Can Milwaukee Continue the Momentum?

10 May 2022

Brew Hoops

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Bucks vs Celtics Game 4 Preview Can Milwaukee Continue the Momentum

Milwaukee looks to take a commanding 3-1 series lead

Let’s get back at it. After a thrilling Game 3 victory where the Celtics nearly came all the way back to snatch a win, the Bucks were able to close them out after Al Horford’s would be game-tying was ruled late. And guess what — it’s time to do it all again!

Where We’re At

Like I said, we’re coming off an incredibly chippy Game 3. Bodies on the floor. Scuffles after tough playoff fouls. Coaches bashing the officials in the postgame availability. It all culminated in a nail biting finish, which ended up in the Bucks taking a 2-1 series advantage. You know Boston is going to come into Game 4 with a vengeance, so it’s surely going to be another classic where you don’t truly know who is going to have an advantage. Let’s do it.

Milwaukee rode the brilliance of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who posted another 40+ point outing by capping things off with 42 points. Additionally, Jrue Holiday turned the dial up on the offensive end in the second half, which pushed Milwaukee over the finish line. With Khris Middleton continuing to be sidelined, it’s going to be a major necessity for both Antetokounmpo and Holiday to continue putting forth reliable offensive performances.

Player to Watch

I’m going to go with Jayson Tatum. In Game 3, he was clearly frustrated. Wes Matthews got the primary role of defending him, and was magnificent. Take a look at this stat:

Jayson Tatum finished 0-for-10 when Wesley Matthews was the primary defender. @ESPNStatsInfo
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) May 7, 2022

Despite Matthews’ age, he continues to bring it on the defensive end and is developing into this year’s PJ Tucker in terms of defense. Here’s what Mike Budenholzer had to say following Game 3 regarding the limitation of Tatum:

A key for Milwaukee's Game 3 victory? Limiting Jayson Tatum. They held him to just 10 points on 4-of-19 shooting. Here's what Mike Budenholzer had to say on his team's defensive efforts on the Boston superstar: pic.twitter.com/4rC0Dg2OSm
— Gabe Stoltz (@Stoltzy3) May 7, 2022

The key to Boston’s Game 2 victory was their hot shooting. It’s a simple philosophy, but if they continue to miss those shots, it’s going to be extremely tough for them to top Milwaukee. They haven’t really exhibited any confidence that they’ve developed a gameplan to stop Milwaukee and instead are relying on their shot-making. If Tatum continues to struggle, that doesn’t bode well for the Celtics. Wes Matthews vs. him will surely be an entertaining matchup once again.

Betting Odds

Per DraftKings, the Bucks are -1 on the spread as well as -115 on the ML.