Watch Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics live on Sky Sports Arena late on Wednesday night (11.30pm)
Thursday 31 October 2019 04:18, UK
The Boston Celtics play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden on Wednesday night, live on Sky Sports Arena.
The Bucks (2-1) suffered a baffling overtime loss to the Miami Heat over the weekend but have been stellar aside from that. Their most recent victory was a 17-point manhandling of the Cleveland Cavaliers, coming on the heels of an impressive victory over the Houston Rockets.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has opened the season in the dominant form that earned him last season's MVP award, averaging 24.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 9.0 assists to date.
But while Giannis is off to a hot start, the same can't be said of his team-mates. Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe have been short of their best thus far. That will have to change if the Bucks are to continue their recent mastery of Boston, who they have beaten three times in their last four meetings.
The Celtics (2-1) underwent some major roster changes over the summer. Kyrie Irving, Terry Rozier and Al Horford all departed for pastures new following the turbulent 2018-19 campaign that ended at the hands of Milwaukee in the playoffs.
The acquisition of All-Star guard Kemba Walker as Irving's replacement should go some way to addressing the chemistry issues the team experienced last season. Walker's presence will also benefit the development of young wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
The Celtics' other major summer acquisition, Enes Kanter, has only appeared in one of the Celtics' three games to date because of a knee issue. Young big man Robert Williams has been starting in Kanter's absence.
A feature of last season's playoff meeting between these two sides was the Celtics' deployment of two- or three-man defensive wedges to discourage Antetokounmpo's forays into the paint. But that tactic was led by defensive lynchpin Al Horford who departed over the summer.
The Celtics lack size overall and they certainly have no big men able to mirror Horford's veteran savvy. Their most experienced big man, Kanter, is something of a liability on the defensive end. Giannis will be salivating at the prospect of a big scoring night.
26.3 - That's the number of free throws the Celtics are attempting per game.
One of the most frustrating aspects of the Celtics' play last year was their collective unwillingness to attack to the basket and draw contact. That was borne out by the 19.5 free throw attempts they made per game during the 2018-19 season, the NBA's second-worst figure.
It seems coach Brad Stevens has addressed this over the summer, preaching the need for Tatum and Brown to not settle for mid-range jump shots.
Middleton received his first All-Star selection last season and shone as the Bucks' No 2 option behind Antetokounmpo, earning himself a five-year $178m extension in the process.
However, he was oddly ineffective for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup and now faces the increased attention that his huge contract brings.
After putting up a stinker in Milwaukee's season opener (11 points, 4-of-16 shooting), Middleton has found his groove in his last two appearances, topping 20 points in both outings. He is also shooting three-pointers at a 40 per cent clip so far.
Fourth-year guard/forward Brown has been a key factor in both of Boston's wins to date. He led the way with 25 points as the Celtics bested the Raptors on Saturday night and followed that with 19 the following night as the Celtics dismissed the Knicks.
Brown is making 50 per cent of his field goals and his free throw attempts have increased from 2.7 per game last season to 4.0 through his first three games, suggesting a greater willingness to attack the basket.
