The Celtics are back on the road Sunday night, and the assignment is the same one they’ve handled well so far this season: keep the momentum rolling.
Boston heads into Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee coming off a 119-80 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, a result that pushed the Celtics to 7-2 through nine games. They’ve now won two straight since the loss to the Houston Rockets, and they’ll try to make it three against a Bucks team that has struggled out of the gate.
Milwaukee enters at 1-8, the worst record in the Eastern Conference so far, and the numbers help explain the rough start. The Bucks are 22nd in the league in points per game at 109.7, 20th in 3-point percentage at 33.3%, and they’re committing the 10th-most fouls per game at 23.1. On top of that, they rank 27th in both offensive rating, at 106.6, and defensive rating, at 118.6.
This is also the second meeting between these teams in just a few days. They played Monday, when Boston built a big first-half lead even without Jayson Tatum, who was resting.
Milwaukee answered with a third-quarter surge, buried a wave of threes, and even grabbed the lead in the fourth. Still, Paul George, Derrick White, and Neemias Queta finished the job and sent the Celtics home with the win.
That previous game is part of the message Boston is carrying into Sunday: nothing is guaranteed just because the Celtics handled a team once already.
“Well, I think we’ve already been in that situation with Chicago,” Hugo Gonzalez said at shootaround on Sunday morning. “We already got that experience of, you can’t expect they’re gonna play the same way two times.
We’ve already beaten them at home. They’re gonna take pride at home to defend their court, so we just gotta expect a different game today.”
Boston has already seen that lesson play out against the Chicago Bulls, beating them twice in convincing fashion. The Bucks, though, showed enough fight in the last meeting to make clear they’re capable of pushing back, at least for stretches.
The Celtics also have a busy stretch ahead, with a back-to-back against the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors looming. But Luka Garza said the focus stays locked on the game in front of them.
“I’m always one game at a time,” Luka Garza said. “To be honest, I don’t really -- Like, if you were to ask me to name the next five games we play, I don’t really know.
I’m just kind of focused on the moment, what game we have now. This is a game we want to win because we want to win every game, and so, the focus and the mindset stays the same.
And that’ll carry on to whoever we play after that.”
As for the injury report, Boston lists Devin Carter, Chris Cenac Jr., Dillon Mitchell, and Amari Williams as out with G League designations, while Mitchell Robinson is questionable with an illness. Milwaukee’s report includes Kam Jones, Bogoljub Markovic, Pete Nance, and Cormac Ryan as out with G League designations.
In Other News...
Celtics Injury Scare Faded Fast But One Bigger Concern Still Looms
Payton Pritchards brief scare in Wednesdays game turned out to be exactly that, a scare. The Celtics guard left after a right eye abrasion affected his vision, but he was back in the mix by Friday at Charlotte, easing immediate concern around a player who has become a steady part of Bostons rotation. Pritchard also dealt with a right shoulder contusion, and he spoke about the teams progress this season as the Celtics continue sorting out their early rhythm.
The larger question around Boston, though, still sits with Jayson Tatum and the long road back from his Achilles injury. Tatum has been managing occasional rest nights as he works through the recovery process, a reminder that the Celtics are still balancing short-term availability with the bigger picture of getting their star fully right. For a team trying to build momentum, Pritchards quick return helped, but the more important health storyline is still the one that will shape Bostons season for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Luka Garza Is Forcing A Celtics Rotation Decision
Luka Garza has quietly given the Celtics something they did not necessarily expect this early in the season: a reserve big who can stretch the floor and hold his own enough to stay on the court. In limited minutes, he has looked efficient as a scorer, knocked down threes at a strong clip and shown enough defensive improvement to make him more than just a situational option.
For a team always balancing depth, spacing and frontcourt fit, that kind of early production can force a real rotation conversation. Garza has done enough to make a case for a larger role, and the Celtics now have to decide whether what he has shown is a small-sample spark or the start of something they should lean into more often. [Read more 🡒]
Derrick White Just Gave The Celtics What They Need Most
Derrick White gave the Celtics a needed lift in the win over the Hornets, blending the kind of joy and aggression that has made him such an important part of Bostons rotation. He finished with 18 points, knocked down four 3-pointers, and added five assists, four rebounds and a steal while looking every bit like the steady two-way presence the Celtics lean on when the offense needs a jolt.
Whites value goes well beyond the box score, though his shot-making was especially welcome after an uneven start to the season from deep. Boston has long counted on him as both a playmaker and a defender, and nights like this are a reminder of why his game fits so cleanly alongside the teams bigger stars. [Read more 🡒]