The NBA offers a fairly light slate with just four games on the schedule on Thursday. Still, one of the Eastern Conference’s hottest teams looks to keep their winning ways going against a familiar foe.
A showdown between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks (8:00 p.m. ET) features plenty of weapons despite Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo being out due to a calf strain. With Boston riding a five-game winning streak and Milwaukee struggling to find consistency without their top star, these two teams are going in two very different directions.
Below, we’ll dive into a Celtics vs. Bucks prediction and picks to consider for Thursday night’s matchup. Use PrizePicks NBA to make player picks and win money if you’re right.
Celtics vs. Bucks Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Tthe Celtics have won seven of the last 10 meetings between the two teams dating back to Christmas Day 2022.
Boston is completely healthy aside from F Jayson Tatum, who is slated to miss the 2025-26 season due to a torn Achilles that he suffered in the 2025 postseason.
Meanwhile, the Bucks are without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) for multiple weeks. In addition, G/F Taurean Prince (neck) is out indefinitely following surgery to repair a herniated disk. G AJ Green (shoulder) is currently day-to-day, but there’s a possibility he could play on Thursday.
Celtics vs. Bucks Over/Under, Spread
The Bucks enter Thursday’s game as 7.5-point underdogs, returning a 5.26x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Celtics are favorites with a 1.81x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Boston Celtics -7.5
- Total: 226.5
- Game Winner Payout: Suns 5.26x | Thunder 1.81x
Team picks data is live as of publishing and is subject to change.
Celtics vs. Bucks Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to know to get you prepared for Celtics vs. Bucks.
- Boston possesses the NBA’ second-best offensive rating at 122.0, behind only Denver (124.0).
- The Bucks lead the NBA in 3-point shooting as they’re connecting on 40.9% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Milwaukee is hoisting up 37.9 threes per contest, 12th in the league.
- The Celtics allow the third-fewest points (110.6) in the NBA behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder (106.9) and Houston Rockets (110.3).
- Boston’s +6.6 average scoring margin ranks fifth.
- The under has been hit six times in the last seven Celtics-Bucks meetings, including in each of the last four games.
Celtics vs. Bucks NBA Picks, Stats for PrizePicks Today
Here are three top Celtics vs. Bucks picks to target on Thursday. Key PrizePicks player projections are headlined by G Jaylen Brown, G Kevin Porter Jr., and G Derrick White.
Celtics G Jaylen Brown vs. Bucks Projection: 37.5 Pts+Rebs
- Brown is averaging 35.3 combined points and rebounds per contest this season. However, he's tallied at least 38 points and rebounds in six of his last seven games.
- The Celtics star guard has a 35.2% usage percentage, which ranks second in the NBA behind only Lakers G Luka Doncic.
- In his only career game vs. Milwaukee without Jayson Tatum, Brown scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 127-121 Celtics loss on Apr. 7, 2022.
- Brown has topped the 30-point mark in six of his last seven games.
Bucks G Kevin Porter Jr. vs. Celtics Projection: 33 Pts+Rebs+Asts
- Since returning from injury, Porter is averaging 24.2 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds over his last five games.
- His 61.8% from beyond the arcwould lead the NBA if he had played enough games to qualify.
- While still impressive, Porter is shooting 47.4% from 3 at home on the season.
Celtics G Derrick White vs. Bucks Projection: 24.5 Pts+Asts
- White averaged 24.5 points and 6.3 assists across his last five games.
- The Bucks are allowing 26.8 assists per game, which ranks 19th among NBA teams. Meanwhile, White is dishing out 5.3 assists on the season, the second-highest clip of his career.
- Entering Thursday, White is shooting just 33.8% from beyond the arc. However, that’s likely not where he will finish the campaign as he’s wrapped each of the last three seasons shooting above 38.0%.
- White is registering 6.4 assists per 40 minutes, which is the highest that he’s recorded since the 2021-22 season when he had 6.7 in his first year with the Celtics.
Make Celtics vs. Bucks Picks on PrizePicks
Celtics vs.Bucks isn’t the only avenue basketball fans have to make NBA picks. With PrizePicks, you can earn real-money rewards for your predictions if you’re right.
Just choose players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and follow the hoops action to see if your picks hit.
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