A pair of powerhouses meet when the Milwaukee Bucks battle the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in a key Eastern Conference matchup on Monday night. Boston is coming off a 124-118 win at Detroit on Saturday, while Milwaukee dropped a 115-102 decision at Brooklyn on Sunday, its second consecutive loss. The Bucks (1-2), who were the third seed last season at 49-33, won the NBA title in 2020-21. The Celtics (3-0), the top seed in the league last year at 64-18, won their league-high 18th championship in five games over the Dallas Mavericks this past June. Boston will again be without power forward Kristaps Porzingis (foot).

Tipoff from TD Garden in Boston is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The SportsLine consensus lists Boston as the 9.5-point favorite in the latest Bucks vs. Celtics odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 234 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our NBA odds page). 

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