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Bucks vs. Celtics Odds, Picks, Predictions: Boston Looks to Get on Track on Christmas Day

Kenny Ducey

Last Updated: December 25, 2022 6:58 AM EST • 2 min 26 sec read.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics clash on Christmas Day in a rematch of their 2021-22 playoff series and a possible conference final preview for 2022-23. Here are our Bucks vs. Celtics NBA picks.

The Bucks are fresh off of a disheartening loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday and have now lost three of five games as they start to slip a bit from their perch in the East.

Speaking of which, the Celtics have lost three of four and have also looked less than impressive after taking a stranglehold of the conference standings.

Here is our best Bucks vs. Celtics NBA pick for Christmas Day (odds via ; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out our NBA best bets and all of our top NBA picks for Christmas Day!

Bucks vs. Celtics Game Info

Date: Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022
TV: ABC
Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Bucks vs. Celtics Odds

Bucks vs. Celtics Odds Analysis

The Bucks were initially offered as 4-point underdogs and there’s been very slight movement in favor of the home side. The line is out to 5.5 points at some of our Best NBA Betting Sites with the big money on Boston. At DraftKings, 51% of the bets and 61% of the handle on the spread is on the Celtics.

The Over has attracted 77% of bettors and has taken on 84% share of the money. As a result, we’ve watched as the opening number of 219.5 has risen to 226 points.

Check out our Bucks vs. Celtics SGP picks!

Bucks vs. Celtics Pick

Celtics -4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Bucks have now failed to cover in four of their last seven games as they continue to see a dip in production on both ends of the floor. They rank 18th in offensive efficiency for the season and have watched as their offensive rating has dropped to a very low 112.4 points per 100 possessions this month. More worrying than that, though, is the fact that this team has been nearly three points worse per 100 possessions on defense after dominating in that regard for the majority of the season.

It hasn’t been a great showing on either end for Boston in December, but the main reason for that is a brutal 31.4% 3-point percentage. Milwaukee’s 3-point defense has cratered this month, which is the main reason for its weakened defense, and we saw the Bucks get taken to school from deep by the Nets on Friday.

I do think Boston can recover a bit of offensive production against a team allowing an inordinate amount of 3-pointers and that is the main reason I’ll take it in this marquee matchup. The Bucks continue to look lost on offense without Khris Middleton and should meet their match on Christmas Day.

Bucks vs. Celtics Best Odds

PointsBet (-107)

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsPointsBet
-4.5-5-4.5-4.5-4.5
-110-110-110-110-107

This is a very bizarre set of lines for a big game that has attracted a ton of bets. is hanging five points while most other books are charging at least -110 for the -4.5 points on Boston. Some are even down to -113. With that, this is an A-grade line from PointsBet, which continues to give you a three-cent discount off of the standard -110 price on most spreads. Considering some books have moved – or almost moved – the line to five points, this is a good deal.

Bucks-Celtics pick made 12/24/2022 at 3:39 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
Kenny Ducey
Kenny is a contributor for DraftKings and a former member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He's covered Tennis, Football, Basketball, and Baseball dating back to his time at Sports Illustrated. He's based out of New York, where sports have taken a turn for the worst, yet somehow his support for the Jets and Knicks has not wavered in the slightest.