Celtics Become East Favorites After Bucks’ Loss To Bulls, Khris Middleton Injury

There’s a new favorite in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. It took just two games into the first round of the 2022 playoffs for the Boston Celtics to surpass the Milwaukee Bucks for the best chance to reach the NBA Finals.

With a 2-0 series lead over the Brooklyn Nets, the Celtics lead all East teams with +550 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the championship. After a 114-110 loss to the Chicago Bulls knotted up their series at 1-1, Milwaukee is down to third in the East with +750 championship odds.

Khris Middleton left the Game 2 defeat with a sprained MCL. The injury could keep the Bucks’ second-leading scorer sidelined for the foreseeable future, though his exact timetable is not yet known.

The Miami Heat are ahead of the Bucks for second in the conference with +600 odds. Miami has cruised to a 2-0 series lead over the Atlanta Hawks, outscoring its first-round opponent by 34 total points.

Both the Celtics and Heat have +220 odds to play in the 2022 NBA Finals. The Bucks are now a distant third with +390 odds to win the East.

The NBA favorites for much of the season, Brooklyn faces a virtual “must-win” situation against Boston in Game 3. The Celtics have forced Kevin Durant into having two of his worst playoff performances ever. Durant is averaging 25.0 points and 6.0 turnovers per game on 31.7% shooting.

After a brilliant Game 1 performance, Kyrie Irving was held to 10 points on 13 field-goal attempts and one assist in Boston’s 114-107 Game 2 victory. The Celtics and their No. 1 ranked defense will be extremely difficult to beat if they continue to stifle opposing superstars.

The Bucks can still get by the Bulls if Middleton is ruled out for the rest of the series. Beating the Celtics in the second round, however, would be extremely difficult.

Jayson Tatum leads Boston with 25.0 points and 9.0 assists per game against Brooklyn.

Middleton has averaged more than 20.0 points per game in three straight seasons. The forward averaged 26.0 points per game in Milwaukee’s four wins during the 2021 NBA Finals.

Even before Middleton got hurt, the Bucks were struggling to score against the Bulls. Milwaukee’s 100.0 offensive rating is the second-worst of all playoff teams. The Bucks’ half-court offense has been reminiscent of Milwaukee’s previous postseason appearances, which ended in disappointment before last year’s title run.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.0 points, 17.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game this postseason.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a 3-0 series lead over the Toronto Raptors. Philadelphia is given +440 odds to win the East and +1100 odds to win the championship.

The Phoenix Suns (+320) and Golden State Warriors (+370) are the NBA favorites.