The Boston Celtics come home looking for a fifth straight win at TD Garden. They face a Bucks team that has lost three in a row and gives up more than 124 points a night. But the Celtics could be shorthanded as Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard have both shown up on the injury report.

Records: Celtics 5-2 (4-0 home), Bucks 1-6 (0-3 road) 

Broadcast details

• Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. ET, TD Garden
• TV: NBC Sports Boston, NBA League Pass

Projected Starters

• Celtics: Derrick White, Paul George, Jordan Walsh, Jayson Tatum, Mitchell Robinson
• Bucks: Tyler Herro, Brayden Burries, Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma, Jaime Jaquez, Jr.

Officials: 

James Capers (#19) Dedric Taylor (#21) Julian Scott (#76)

Injury report

• Celtics: Devin Carter is out with mononucleosis and hasn’t played this season. Jayson Tatum (rest) and Payton Pritchard (right shoulder contusion) are questionable. This will be updated as soon as the Celtics announce their new status.
• Bucks: None.

Here's your full-season Celtics guide, with the full roster, schedule, salaries, and more.

Season Series

This is the first of three meetings between these teams.

The Teams Coming In

Boston split a road back-to-back. Beating Orlando 108-97 and losing to the Rockets 109-93. The 93 points is their fewest this season. Through seven games the Celtics score 115.0 points per game and allow 109.1.

Milwaukee lost by 25 to the Cave Cavsby 12 to Minnesota before heading to Boston. They score 111.1 points and allow 124.1 per game, the second-worst point differential in the conference. Tyler Herro leads the bucks with 21.9 points per game. Jaime Jaquez Jr. adds 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds.

Three Keys to the Game

Battle for the Boards: The Celtics have been shooting poorly lately, but their offensive rebounding has saved them on most bad shooting nights. The Bucks, however, are fifth in the NBA in defensive rebounds per game and 10th in defensive rebound percentage. There is room for Boston to get in for putbacks or to extend possessions, but the Bucks are a good enough rebounding team to make that difficult. It might be the one skill they have to bother Boston. 

Transition points: The Bucks are the seventh-worst team in allowing steals, giving up 9.6 per game so far. The Bucks also allow the third-most three-pointers, undoubtedly part of allowing fast breaks that give trailers clean looks. The Celtics force the fifth-most turnovers in the league, so this is not only a chance to get out and get some easy ones, this is a chance to hit some transition threes and snap a couple of cold starts. 

Payton Pritchard: Yep, that last line was about Pritchard. This man needs a get-right game, and the Bucks are a great opponent for that. If Pritchard can get out and operate against a retreating defense, he can have a big night … if he plays. 

Prediction

This is a low-key tough game for Boston. It’s the fourth game in six nights, so guys will be tired and a couple of guys could miss the game. Also, the Celtics fly right back out to Charlotte, so this is essentially a road game at home. Sometimes this one-offs back at home offer a little too much relaxation, which could lead to a slow start. 

The Bucks rebounding is a concern, and it might help keep the game closer than we expect, but I think turnovers and transition will be enough for Boston to pull away, 117-100