March 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) and Boston Celtics center Nemias Cueta (88) celebrate during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Bucks will be facing two quality centers when they face the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday night.
The center position was a question mark for the Celtics at the start of the season, but has now turned into one of the team’s strengths.
Starting pitcher Neemias Queta had his best game since entering the NBA. He had a career-high 27 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, one steal and three blocks in Boston’s 114-98 home win over Philadelphia on Sunday night. The Celtics also got 11 points and 12 rebounds from backup center Nikola Vucevic, who was acquired at the trade deadline.
Cueta, 26, said Boston’s coaching staff has been instrumental in his development.
“They really have a therapeutic element as well,” Queta said. “They care about you as a person too. Their ability to go out and demand a lot from you every day and still go out and relate to you outside of basketball. They also work for your best interests. They go above and beyond the basketball Xs and Os off the court. They go out and really care about you and it makes your job a lot easier because you know they have your back.”
Cueta was the fourth center to play for the Celtics in his first two seasons, joining Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Cornette, but he has started 55 of the 56 games he has played this season following that trio’s departure following last season. Queta is averaging career highs in points (9.8) and rebounds (8.2) per game.
“He’s done a good job this year,” Jaylen Brown said. “And I think there’s another level he can tap into, and I feel like he’s starting to tap into the next level.”
The Bucks ended their 11-game losing streak with a 120-97 loss at Chicago on Sunday. The Bulls scored 27 consecutive points in the second half, starting in the third quarter and continuing through the fourth quarter. Milwaukee missed 17 straight shots at one point in the fourth quarter.
“We didn’t make the right shots,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “Half of them were contested (two-point field goals). If you approach the game and play that way, you don’t deserve to win. If we had won the game, I would have been upset and won because we needed to, but that’s not the way to play basketball…. It was a disappointing loss and I hope we all felt it.”
Milwaukee is fighting for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference and the final spot in the Eastern Play-In Tournament. The Bucks are three games in from that spot entering Monday. They have been playing without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has missed the last 15 games with a right calf injury.
“I’m really disappointed,” Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis said after Sunday’s loss. “It would have been nice if we had won, but we have a chance to go out and play again tomorrow. The good thing is we have a game tomorrow. We don’t have to wait 48 hours to play.
“We just have to get on with the Boston game. We have 23 games left in the season and things are getting tighter. We need to turn on the heater here soon.”
Monday’s game will be the third meeting between the two teams this season. The Bucks won 116-101 at home on December 11th, and the Celtics won 107-79 at home on February 1st.
–Field level media
