NBA 2022/23, on Wednesday, 15.02.2023
It’s not the Superbowl, because this one is unfortunately already over. But in the NBA’s Eastern Conference there is no bigger match-up this Wednesday than the direct clash between the first and second-placed teams!
The sports betting providers are eager to tinker with the odds and I have also put out a Bucks Celtics tip, from which I expect a lot. Because the circumstances for a home win could hardly be better tonight …
My undivided attention has recently been on the NBA Trade Deadline to see which teams wouldn’t pass up the last opportunity to bolster their roster one more time.
While the Nets had a big sellout, the Celtics and Bucks – who are already among the top favourites to reach the NBA Finals – were among those who pulled off some great deals on this last day of the transfer window.
The Celtics got Mike Muscala and gave up Justin Jackson and some future second-round picks in return. Muscuala may not be a high-sounding name, but he’s an excellent floor-spacer at the centre position – just the kind of guy the C’s needed.
The more important deal – which in my eyes could be the game changer of the upcoming duel – was made by the Bucks. But they had to dig deep into their pockets to do it.
To secure the services of superstar Jae Crowder, they had to put together a package that included shipping Serge Ibaka, George Hill, Jordan Nwora and five future second-round picks to Phoenix.
There, Jae Crowder has yet to play a single minute this season, having fallen out with the Suns’ board. But much like Kyrie Irving with the Mavericks, I expect the superstar to get off to a highly motivated start in his new adventure with the Bucks.
The Bucks have a very physical style of play that has always impressed the rest of the league – it’s not for nothing that Giannis Antetokounmpo and his boys are ahead of almost all of their league rivals in the Eastern Conference …
However, the only team that has managed to resist this style of play in recent years, and with a record of 40-16 is also ahead of Milwaukee in first place, is the Celtics, of all teams.
Boston has won each of the last three head-to-head meetings – including the only meeting this season. Because on 25 December 2022, the C’s once again prevailed with a commanding 139 to 118 …
If there had been no trades, my Bucks Celtics prediction would have me dialing up the Bwin app on my phone without hesitation to place a win bet on the visitors. That’s because Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are far too dynamic a duo for the Bucks’ rigid defence.
But tonight, Jaylen Brown will be out due to injury, so Milwaukee already has one less worry that was keeping the head coach up recently. Incidentally, their own newcomer from Arizona could tip the scales.
For Crowder helped the Suns to the NBA Finals last season and is a multi-faceted player who excels on both the defensive and offensive ends, making Milwaukee’s “Big 3” even the “Big 4” now.
Just in time for this absolute top game that will give us a little taste of the 2022/23 play-offs, the bookies are wooing the favour of basketball fans with freebets and other great sports betting bonuses.
At the centre of their efforts, of course, are the Bucks Celtics odds, which serve as my guide to how the bookie world views this NBA smash.
The C’s have won their only game of the season – as already mentioned – but the bookies don’t seem to believe in another triumph.
According to the current betting odds, the average payout for a Bucks win is 1.22, which is significantly less than for a Celtics win, a clear indication that Milwaukee is seen as the favourite.
Conclusion: Both teams were able to strengthen themselves on the last day of the trade deadline. This clearly signals the first and second place teams in the Eastern Conference that it has to be the title this year.
Milwaukee in particular acquired a proven superstar in Jae Crowder, who hasn’t played a second on the court this season but was instrumental in the Suns’ sweeping run through the playoffs last year.
With Boston’s Jaylen Brown also out with injury, the Bucks should have fewer problems than they did in their only meeting with the C’s so far this season, when Tatum and Brown were able to show the conference rivals every trick in the book.
My Bucks Celtics tip: Home side to win at HC -8.5 .
