![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/3aa8aadb-f5c2-4015-83fb-f2539fee10ae.jpg\")
<\/p>\nOldfield’s prediction: Payton Pritchard stays hot in a matchup between two teams heading in opposite directions.<\/p>\n
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Feb 1, 2026 \u2022 11:31 ET<\/p>\n
\u2022 4 min read<\/p>\n
Photo By – Reuters Connect. Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11). <\/p>\n
The Milwaukee Bucks are wrestling with whether to bring down the curtain on the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, and it would be no surprise if there\u2019s a distracted vibe in today\u2019s clash with the Boston Celtics.<\/p>\n
Milwaukee has lost four in a row and will be without Giannis again here, so my Bucks vs. Celtics predictions expect Boston to take care of business, powered by more Payton Pritchard fireworks.<\/p>\n
Check out my NBA picks<\/a> for this Eastern Conference showdown on Sunday, February 1.<\/p>\n Bucks vs Celtics prediction<\/p>\n Bucks vs Celtics best bet: Payton Pritchard Over 16.5 points (-110)<\/p>\n Despite Jayson Tatum<\/a>\u2019s injury and Kristaps Porzingis\u2019 exit, the Boston Celtics<\/a> still rank second in the league in 3-pointers made per game this season.<\/p>\n Payton Pritchard<\/a> has willingly stepped up from beyond the arc, and he had free rein to cook on Friday with Jaylen Brown<\/a> sitting out. He turned those extra touches into 29 points on 12-for-16 shooting against Sacramento, and Pritchard’s a high-value pick to continue that hot streak against the\u00a0Milwaukee Bucks<\/a>.<\/p>\n While he probably won\u2019t have that kind of volume today, Pritchard still fits in effortlessly when Brown and Derrick White are running the show, and he\u2019s averaging 21.2 points per game across his last five games. That leads me to the Over on this points prop, after Pritchard knocked down his 3-pointers at a 42% clip in January.<\/p>\n It helps that the Bucks are on the ropes \u2014 their double-digit loss to Washington this past Thursday says it all. I don\u2019t expect the visitors to offer much resistance defensively, especially with the Giannis shadow still looming over the franchise.<\/p>\n That should mean some great looks for Pritchard, who\u2019s a slightly more accurate shooter at TD Garden and has become a steady No. 3 option for Boston.<\/p>\n Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account Piggybacking on a big Pritchard game, I\u2019ll take the Over on this Celtics team total. The hosts are averaging 116.3 ppg this season, and without Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>, Milwaukee could be vulnerable to an avalanche of Boston 3-pointers.<\/p>\n![\"Add](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1769973203_792_google-preferred-source-badge.png\"){kind=icon}
<\/a>Bucks vs Celtics same-game parlay<\/p>\n