The Milwaukee Bucks have a ten-game winning streak on the line when they face the Boston Celtics in a nationally televised game on Tuesday Night, showcasing the two leading teams in the Eastern Conference.
Power forward Giannis ‘Greek Freak’ Antetokounmpo of the Bucks grabs a rebound over guard Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. (Image: USA Today Sports)
The Celtics have the highest record in the NBA at 41-16, and the Bucks have the third-best record in the league at 39-17.
The Celtics hold a 1.5-game lead over the Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings. If the Bucks win against the Celtics on Tuesday, they’ll extend their winning streak to 11 games consecutively and pull within a half-game.
The Celtics have won four games in a row, but they will be without starter shooting guard Jaylen Brown in the lineup. Brown was injured with a facial fracture due to an errant elbow from teammate Jayson Tatum last week.
The Celtics are the current favorites to win the 2022-23 NBA championship. DraftKings listed the Celtics at +310 odds to win the championship, followed by the Phoenix Suns at +450, and the Bucks at +600.
In the preseason, the Celtics were championship co-favorites with the Los Angeles Clippers at +600 odds. Aside from two weeks in early November, when the Bucks briefly became title favorites at +550 odds, the Celtics have been the outright favorite to win the NBA championship this season.
Bucks and Celtics in Battle for #1 Seed
If the season ended today, the Celtics would gain the #1 playoff seed in the east, and the Bucks would secure the #2 seed.
The Celtics and Bucks are the last two teams to win the Eastern Conference. The Celtics were Eastern Conference Champions in the 2021-22 season, but they fell to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals.
The Bucks were conference champions in the 2020-21 season, and advanced to the 2021 NBA Finals. They defeated the Phoenix Suns to capture their first championship in 50 years.
The Celtics are +130 odds to win the Eastern Conference in back-to-back seasons. The Bucks are +250 odds to win their second conference championship in the last three seasons.
FiveThirtyEight projects the
