Milwaukee Bucks (18-28) at Boston Celtics (30-18)
Sunday, February 1, 2026
3:30 PM ET
TV: ESPN, NBCSB, FDSWI
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WTMJ 103.3 FM, Sirius XM
Regular Season Game #49, Home Game #24
TD Garden
The Celtics host the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2nd of 4 games between them this season. They will play again in Milwaukee on March 2 and April 13. Due to the in-season tournament, they face the anomaly of playing 3 times in Milwaukee and just once in Boston. The Celtics won the series 3-0 last season. They are 121-113 overall all time against the Bucks and they are 77-39 in games played in Boston.
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The Bucks made several changes in the off-season hoping to please Giannis and keep him in Milwaukee. They waived Damian Lillard and stretched his contract. They let Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton go as free agents. They brought in Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey, Gary Harris and Miles Turner. They cut Vasilije Micic. They are in the midst of rumors that they may trade Giannis at the trade deadline.
The Celtics are 3rd in the East, 5.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are tied with 2nd place New York, 2 games ahead of 4th place Toronto and 5th place Cleveland, 3.5 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 4.5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 21-12 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 15-8 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
The Bucks are 12th in the East, 7.5 games behind 6th place Philadelphia, 6.5 games behind 7th place Orlando and 8th place Miami, and4 games behind 9th place Atlanta and 10th place Chicago. They are 9-16 on the road. They are 14-16 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last 4 games.
This game is the final gameof a 4 game home stand where they won over Portland on Monday, lost to the Hawks on Wednesday and beat the Kings on Friday. After this game, they are on the road at Dallas and Houston before playing Miami, New York, and Chicago at home, taking them into the All Star Break. After the break, they will head out on a 4 game Western road trip through Golden State, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix, and Denver.
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The Bucks are playing in the final game of a 3 game road trip. They lost at Philadelphia and Washington in the first 2 games of the trip. After this, they have a 3 game home stand where they will host Chicago, New Orleans and Indiana. Then they head out on a 4 game road trip at Orlando for 2 games, and at Oklahoma City before the All Star break and at New Orleans after the break.
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) is the only player on the injury report for the Celtics at this time. For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo is out due to a calf injury (although there are rumors that he is sitting out as he waits for a trade). Kevin Porter, Jr is out with an oblique injury. Taurean Prince is out with a neck injury. Gary Harris is probable with a hamstring injury.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Ryan Rollins
SG: Payton Pritchard vs AJ Green
Payton Pritchard | NBAE via Getty Images
AJ Green | NBAE via Getty Images
SF: Jaylen Brown vs Kyle Kuzma
Jaylen Brown | NBAE via Getty Images
Kyle Kuzma | NBAE via Getty Images
PF: Sam Hauser vs Bobby Portis
Sam Hauser | NBAE via Getty Images
Bobby Portis | NBAE via Getty Images
Center: Neemias Queta vs Myles Turner
Neemias Queta | NBAE via Getty Images
Myles Turner | Getty Images
Celtics Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Hugo Gonzalez
Xavier Tillman
Josh Minott
Jordan Walsh
Luka Garza
Baylor Scheierman
Chris Boucher
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2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Bucks Reserves
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Cole Anthony
Amir Coffey
Gary Harris
Andre Jackson, Jr
Jericho Sims
Gary Trent, Jr
Two-Way Players
Alex Antetokounmpo
Pete Nance
Injuries/Out
Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) out
Taurean Prince (neck) out
Kevin Porter, Jr (oblique) out
Gary Harris (hamstring) probable
Head Coach
Doc Rivers
Keys Matchups
Derrick White vs Ryan Rollins
Rollins is averaging 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He is shooting 46.2% from the field and 39.8% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 10 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals while shooting 40% from the field and 50.3% from beyond the arc. Rollins is a good 3 point shooter and so the Celtics need to defend him on the perimeter.
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Jaylen Brown vs Kyle Kuzma
Kuzma is averaging 12.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He is shooting 49.1% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 31 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist while shooting 76.5% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Celtics must do a better job of defending him in this game.
Honorable Mention
Sam Hauser vs Bobby Portis
Portis is averaging 13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He is shooting 48.6% from the field and 45.6% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 1 steal while shooting 84.6% from the field and 83.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to do a much better job of defending him this time.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the biggest key to winning. Defense really does win championships. The Celtics are 11th with a defensive rating of 113.5. The Bucks are 23rd with a defensive rating of 116.5. In the first game between these two games the Celtics allowed the Bucks to shoot 58.2% from the field and 44.8% from beyond the arc. The Celtics must work harder on defense in this one and keep their focus on the defensive end so as not to allow any easy baskets for the Bucks. They especially need to defend the perimeter as the Bucks are 2nd in the league shooting 39% from beyond the arc as a team.
Rebound – Next to defense, rebounding is always a big key to winning. The key to rebounding is effort and focus. The Celtics are are 22-8 when they out rebound or are tied with their opponents and just 8-10 when they are out rebounded. The Bucks are 28th with 40.6 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 12th with 44.9 rebounds per game. The Celtics have to fight to beat the Bucks to rebounds.
Don’t Underestimate the Bucks – The Bucks have not been playing well, going just 2-8 in their last 10 games. However, the Bucks are still a rival in the Eastern Conference that can play hard and one who beat the Celtics in their first meeting because the Celtics underestimated them. The Celtics have to give max effort on the boards and on defense and they have to give that effort for the entire game and not just 1 or 2 quarters.
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3 Point Shooting – The Celtics are 2nd in the league, averaging 42.5 three pointers per game. They are shooting 36.8% as a team from beyond the arc. The Bucks are 15th, averaging 37.3 threes a game and 2nd in the league shooting 39% on threes as a team. The Celtics make 15.6 threes a game while the Bucks make 14.6 thees a game. In their first meeting, the Celtics shot just 28.6% on 3’s while the Bucks shot 44.8% from beyond the arc. If the Celtics’ 3’s aren’t falling in this game, they need to take the ball inside. And they need to defend the perimeter or the Bucks will bury them in 3s once again.
X-Factors
Home Game – The Celtics are home once again for the 4th game of a 4 game home stand. They have the home crowd behind them to give them extra motivation. The Bucks are on the road for the 3rd straight game and have the distractions of travel and a hostile crowd. The Celtics need to take advantage of playing at home and play with energy and effort.
Coaching – Doc Rivers coached the Celtics from 2004 until 2013 and quit when the Celtics traded Pierce and Garnett to start a rebuild. The Celtics had a relatively short rebuild and have been largely successful since he left. Doc has struggled in each of his stops with the Clippers, 76ers and now the Bucks. Doc would love nothing more than to beat his former team while Joe just wants to beat everybody, no matter who they are.
Officiating – The officiating can always be an x-factor. Some referees call the game tight and others let them play. Some favor the home team and others call it evenly. Some refs just seem to have an agenda that doesn’t fit the play on the court. And sometimes the refs are simply bad. The Celtics have to play through however the refs call the game, whether it is tight or they let them play or they make terrible calls. The Celtics can’t allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus on the game.