The Celtics are on the road for the second of three games this season against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics defeated them 119-108 in Boston on October 28. They will meet for the third and final time in Boston on December 6. Last season the series was tied 2-2 with each team winning two games at home. The Celtics are 119-114 all-time against the Bucks, and they are 43-74 in games played in Milwaukee.

The Celtics largely held out this offseason, bringing back their entire core of players and only losing Svi Mykhailiuk and Oshae Brissett. They added Baylor Scheierman, who was the 30th pick in the draft, and second-round pick Anton Watson to a two-way contract. They have one open roster spot. They also have some extra weight on their shoulders after Olympic shenanigans and other drama over the summer.

The Bucks made several changes in the offseason after a disappointing 49-33 finish in the 2023-2024 season. They said goodbye to Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jae Crowder, Danilo Gallinari and Thanasis Antetokounmpo. They added veterans Taurean Prince, Gary Trent, Jr and Delon Wright. They also added rookies AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith.

The Bucks have been alternating home and road games lately. The Bucks played Cleveland at home and then Cleveland on the road. Then they returned home to play jazz before heading to New York to play the Knicks. And now they’re back home to take on the Celtics for the first of three home games. They will host Toronto and Detroit before hitting the road to play the Hornets.

The Celtics have played six of 10 games so far. They had a four-game road trip that they finished 3-1 and then returned home to play the Warriors and Nets before heading back on the road to play the Bucks. After this game, they return home to play the Atlanta Hawks and then back on the road to play the Brooklyn Nets. Then back home for 2 games against the Raptors and Cavaliers.

Jaylen Brown has been upgraded from out to questionable for this game after missing the last 4 games. I’m going to be optimistic and have included Jaylen in the starting lineup. If he can’t play, Joe will likely start in the double major lineup again. Luke Kornet is questionable with a hip injury and Jalen Springer is questionable with a knee injury. Finally, Kristaps Porzingis remains out as he recovers from ankle surgery.

For the Bucks, Kris Middleton remains out as he recovers from ankle surgery. He has been cleared for a 3-on-3 training session, but still has to play 5-on-5. Gary Trent, Jr. is questionable due to his back spasms and will be a playing time decision. Andre Jackson Jr, who started in Trent’s place, is also questionable due to a hip injury. If both Trent and Jackson can’t play, Pat Connaughton will likely start. Finally, Giannis Antetokounmpo is likely because he is dealing with patellar tendinopathy.

Likely Celtics starters

Grid view

Celtics Reserves
Lucas Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
Sam Hauser

2-way players
J.D. Davison
Drew Peterson
Anthony Watson

Injuries/out
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) out
Jaylen Brown (hip) questionable
Luke Kornet (hamstring) doubtful
Jaden Springer (knee) doubtful

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Likely starters

Grid view

Bucks Reserves
MarJon Beauchamp
Pat Connaughton
Andre Jackson, Jr
A.J. Johnson
Chris Livingston
Bobby Portis Jr
Tyler Smith
Delon Wright

Two-way players
Liam Robbins
Ryan Rollins
Stanley Umude

Injuries/out
AJ Green (toe) probably
Khris Middleton (ankle) out
Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) likely

Head Coach
Dock Rivers

Key matches

Grid view

• 

  Jaylen Brown
  
  

  Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
  

• 

  Giannis Antetokounmpo
  
  

Jaylen Brown vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.1 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. He is shooting 60.5% from the field and has yet to hit a 3 this season. I have Jaylen Brown starting here, but since he’s questionable he might not play. If Brown goes out, it will likely be Jayson Tatum starting again at small forward. It will be important to stick with Giannis and try to limit his goals and rebounds.

Grid view

• 

  Jrue holiday
  
  

  Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
  

• 

  Damian Lillard
  
  

  Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images
  

Jrue Holiday vs. Damian Lillard
Lillard is averaging 27.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game. He is shooting 46.0% from the field and 36.9% from beyond the arc. This one is personal for Jrue, who was traded away from the Bucks to get Damian Lillard. Lillard may be able to replace Jrue’s offense, but he can’t come close to replacing his defense and his intangibles.

Honorable mention
Al Horford vs. Brook Lopez
Lopez is averaging 9.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He is shooting 39.7% from the field and 26.2% from beyond the arc. Again, if Jaylen can’t play, Al will likely move to power forward, while Neemias Queta or Xavier Tillman start at center.

Keys to the game
Defense – Defense is always the biggest key to winning. Defense really does win championships. The Celtics have climbed to fifth place with a defensive rating of 108.7. The Bucks rank 22nd with a defensive rating of 115.7. The Celtics held the Bucks to 25.8% shooting from beyond the arc in their first meeting. The Celtics need to work harder than the Bucks on defense and keep their focus on the defensive end to not allow the Bucks any easy baskets.

Recoil – In addition to defense, rebounding is always an important key to winning. As Pat Riley once said, “No rebounds, no rings.” The key to recovery is effort and focus. This season they have been eliminated in six out of ten games. They are 5-0 when off rebound or tied with their opponents, and only 3-2 when off rebound. The Bucks are 16th with 43.7 rebounds per game, while the Celtics are 17th with 43.6 rebounds per game. The Celtics have to fight harder in this game to beat the Bucks and get rebounds.

Don’t underestimate the dollars -The Bucks haven’t played well, going just 2-7 so far this season. However, the Bucks are still a rival in the Eastern Conference, which has two very good stars. Antetokounmpo and Lillard are very dangerous and have some solid players around them. There’s a good chance the Celtics will see them in the playoffs at some point. The Celtics need to give maximum effort on the boards and on defense and they need to put that effort in for the entire game and not just two quarters.

^{3-point shooting – The Celtics are first in the league, averaging 51.4 three-pointers per game. They are shooting 36% from the field as a team from beyond the arc. In games like Friday against the Nets, the Celtics struggled from beyond the arc, so they had to find other ways to score and increase their defensive effort until they could start hitting some 3s again. The Celtics need to work to get open and move the ball to find the best shots. If the 3’s don’t fall, they have to bring the ball inside.}

X factors
On the road and revenge – The Celtics are on the road, so they will experience the distractions of traveling, being away from family, staying in hotels and playing in front of a hostile crowd. They need to stay focused and not allow these distractions to interfere with playing their game. Every team is trying their best to beat the Celtics and the Bucks will have extra motivation to make up for their loss earlier this season.

Coaching – Doc Rivers coached the Celtics from 2004 to 2013, stepping down when the Celtics traded Pierce and Garnett to begin rebuilding. The Celtics have had a relatively short rebuild and have been largely successful since his departure. Doc has struggled at each of his stops with the Clippers, 76ers and now the Bucks. Doc would love nothing more than to beat his former team, while the Celtics would love to beat their former coach.

On duty – The officiant can always be an x-factor. Some referees call the game tight, others let it play. Some prefer the home team, others call it equal. Some referees just seem to have an agenda that doesn’t fit the game on the field. And sometimes the referees are just bad. Giannis always seems to get more than his share of calls as he plows through players on the way to the ring, leaving bodies in his wake. He ranks 3rd with 10.3 free throws per game. The Celtics have to keep playing no matter what the refs call the game, whether it’s tight or letting them play or making terrible decisions. The Celtics can’t let bad calls or no calls take away their focus on the game.

And be sure to check out CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a live conversation about the game. To participate, all you need to do is create a free account, connect your LP sub if you have one, and join our community.