Gameday preview and injury report: Milwaukee Bucks battle for East supremacy vs. Boston Celtics

The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to stay ahead of the Boston Celtics in the race for top seeding in the NBA.

Matthew Dugandzic | Mar 30, 2023

Gameday preview and injury report: Milwaukee Bucks battle for East supremacy vs. Boston Celtics /

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After a successful road trip, the Milwaukee Bucks return home to face the Boston Celtics in a Thursday night showdown of Eastern Conference titans.

The Bucks are playing the second leg of a back-to-back as they are coming from a 149-136 win over the Indiana Pacers Pistons on Wednesday night.

Milwaukee still on top of the East

Milwaukee finished their four-game road trip with three wins and a loss, allowing them to stay ahead of the Celtics in the race for the top spot in the East.

The Bucks lead the East and NBA team standings with a 55-21 record, good for three games ahead of the second-place Celtics, who are 52-24.

Trailing the Bucks and the Celtics in the East are the 50-26 Philadelphia Sixers. Finally, these three teams and the Cleveland Cavaliers have already secured a playoff berth in the East.

The tie-breaker

Milwaukee and Boston traded victories in the first two games of their three-game regular season series. The Celtics won their first meeting on Christmas, 139-118, before the Bucks returned the favor in their second encounter on Valentine's Day, 131-125.

The two teams' key players are all expected to suit up tonight, with Milwaukee top guns Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis Jr. and Brook Lopez looking to hold their ground against Boston's main weapons in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart.

Injury report

Khris Middleton (knee injury management) and Jae Crowder (knee injury management) are listed day-to-day, while Meyers Leonard (calf) is out for the Bucks.

Robert Williams (knee), Payton Pritchard (left heel) and Grant Williams (non-Covid illness) are questionable for the Celtics.

Published Mar 30, 2023

MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.