These Bucks Lineup Decisions Give Celtics Major Advantage In No. 1 Playoff Seed Race

The Milwaukee Bucks will look like a whole new team when they show up to TD Garden on Wednesday for their regular-season finale against the Boston Celtics.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Matthew Dellavedova, Khris Middleton and Tony Snell all won’t play for the Bucks on Wednesday due to rest, according to Milwaukee’s game notes, via Brian Robb of 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Well, that’s certainly good news for the C’s. Boston currently is one game up on the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and a win against the Bucks would clinch home-court advantage for the Celtics throughout the East playoffs.

The Bucks, meanwhile, need to beat Boston and have the Atlanta Hawks lose their final two games in order to be the No. 5 seed. Otherwise, the Bucks will be locked into the No. 6 seed and a first-round matchup with the Toronto Raptors, as CBS Sports explained in its most recent playoff scenarios.

Milwaukee’s seeding might be official by the time it hits the court Wednesday, but making this announcement this far in advance still seems curious. The Celtics will take it, though.

UPDATE (9:45 p.m. ET): The Hawks demolished the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday, which means the Bucks will face the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.

Thumbnail photo via Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports Images