The Celtics (30-18) and Bucks (18-28) meet again Sunday afternoon, but this rematch comes with a very different kind of backdrop than the last time these two saw each other.

When Boston went to Milwaukee earlier this season, it felt like a missed opportunity.

The Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo, reeling through a rough stretch, and still managed to flip the game after halftime. What started as a comfortable Celtics’ night quickly unraveled into a second-half freeze, a barrage of missed threes, and a frustrating 116-101 loss that stood out precisely because Boston so rarely looks that disjointed.

Jaylen Brown did his part with 30 points, Jordan Walsh continued his breakout stretch, but the offense dried up completely once Milwaukee found momentum.

Now, the Celtics get another crack - this time at TD Garden, riding the steadiness they’ve shown even while short-handed. Boston just steamrolled Sacramento on Friday night without Brown, leaning on Payton Pritchard’s reliability and a depth advantage that has quietly become a defining trait of this group. Even without Jayson Tatum still sidelined, the Celtics have stayed afloat, stacking wins and avoiding prolonged slippage - something contenders do even when things aren’t clean.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, arrives in Boston in a very different headspace.

The Bucks are no longer just dealing with injuries or schematic questions; they’re dealing with existential ones.

Antetokounmpo’s name now sits squarely at the center of the league’s trade universe as the deadline approaches, a stunning development for a franchise cornerstone who, for years, has spoken about his desire to spend his entire career in Milwaukee. The Bucks insist the noise doesn’t matter. Doc Rivers shrugs it off publicly. But it’s impossible to ignore the reality:

Milwaukee is 18-28, sliding toward irrelevance, and their star has openly questioned effort, chemistry, and collective purpose.

Whether Giannis plays Sunday or not, that tension hangs over everything the Bucks do right now. Every loss amplifies the questions. Every game feels like an audition - for players, for lineups, for a direction that suddenly isn’t clear.

For Boston, this matchup is less about revenge and more about confirmation.

Can they avoid the same offensive stagnation that doomed them last time? Can they continue to weaponize depth and defensive discipline against a team searching for answers? And can they keep banking wins while others in the East wobble?

Sunday’s game isn’t just another regular-season meeting. It’s a snapshot of two teams moving in very different directions - one stabilizing through adversity, the other staring down decisions that could reshape its future.

Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics Information

Game Date: February 1, 2026
Game Time: 3:30 PM ET
TV Channel: ESPN (National), NBC Sports Boston (Boston) & FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub (Boston) & WTMJ 620 AM (Milwaukee)
Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Live Stream: Fubo & NBA League Pass

Missed any of Friday night’s win over Sacramento? Here were some takeaways:

Queta’s emergence continues to be one of the quieter storylines of Boston’s season - and a loud reminder for the team that once let him walk.

Back from an illness, Queta posted 10 points and 15 rebounds, controlling the glass and anchoring the paint against a Kings frontcourt that never matched his physicality.

Sacramento chose to move on from Queta in 2023 in favor of a declining JaVale McGee. Now, Queta looks like a legitimate rotation center for an Eastern Conference contender.

With Boston still thin up front and constantly evaluating its big-man depth, nights like this only strengthen Queta’s case of being their big man of the future.

This was not a math-ball win. It was a demolition inside the arc.

The Celtics carved up Sacramento’s pick-and-roll coverage early, shooting an absurd 85% in the first half (17 of 20) with a steady stream of layups, cuts, and rim finishes.

Boston poured in 72 first-half points, building the game-breaking lead without needing to rely on volume three-point shooting.

It was a reminder that when the Celtics play with force and decisiveness, they don’t need perfect shooting nights to overwhelm inferior teams.

This has become a trend, not a coincidence.

Whenever Boston is shorthanded, Pritchard seems to shift gears.

With Brown out, the guard took full command early, piling up 22 points and 8 assists in the first half alone.

He repeatedly hunted mismatches, punished soft coverage, and dictated the tempo in a way that made Sacramento look overwhelmed.

According to legendary Celtics researcher Dick Lipe, Pritchard became just the fifth player in the play-by-play era to post that stat line in a first half while shooting 80% from the field - rare air, regardless of opponent.

Sacramento was on the second night of a back-to-back, but fatigue only explains so much.

This roster still feels disjointed - an awkward blend of expensive veterans and stalled development, and Friday only reinforced the sense that meaningful change is coming.

Zach LaVine led the Kings with 17 points, but there was little resistance, urgency, or cohesion once Boston punched first.

Seven straight losses later, the Kings don’t look like a team waiting for a bounce-back. They look like one staring down a long teardown.

The Celtics didn’t just bounce back Friday night.

They reasserted who they are when locked in: deep, adaptable, and capable of overwhelming teams even without one of their stars.

Against Milwaukee on Sunday, the test gets real again. But after Wednesday’s stumble, this was exactly the response Boston needed.

Remember to join our CELTICS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Celtics fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.