20 Second Timeout

Antetokounmpo Scores 42 Points, Bucks Survive Fourth Quarter Comeback to Beat Celtics, 103-101

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 42 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished for a game-high eight assists as his Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Boston Celtics 103-101 to take a 2-1 series lead. The teams will play one more game in Milwaukee before the series shifts back to Boston for game five. Antetokounmpo shot just .385 from the field in the first two games of this series, but he shot 16-30 (.533) from the field in game three. This is his 13th playoff game with at least 30 points, at least 10 rebounds, and at least five assists. Since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, only LeBron James and Larry Bird have more such playoff games. Jrue Holiday scored 25 points, but he shot just 11-30 from the field, slightly worse than his .375 field goal percentage in the first two games of the series. Brook Lopez had 13 points and 10 rebounds. He scored 11 of his points in the first half, and his minutes were limited by foul trouble, but his contributions defensively and on the boards were indispensable. Pat Connaughton added 11 points on 4-10 field goal shooting. 

Jaylen Brown scored 27 points on 8-16 field goal shooting for the Celtics. He also had 12 rebounds and four assists. Brown scored 15 points on 4-7 field goal shooting in the fourth quarter. Al Horford added 22 points on 9-17 field goal shooting, plus a game-high 16 rebounds, and a team-high five assists. Horford scored 12 points on 5-7 field goal shooting in the fourth quarter. Jayson Tatum outplayed Kevin Durant in Boston's first round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, but he has not fared as well so far versus Milwaukee, and he had a miserable game three, finishing with just 10 points on 4-19 field goal shooting. Although he had a game-high four blocked shots, Tatum's overall floor game was subpar: three assists, one rebound, one steal, and three turnovers in 41 minutes. Anyone can have a bad shooting game, but when the all-time greats have a bad shooting game they find other ways to control the game, and that is something that Tatum will have to continue to work on to cement his status as a legitimate MVP candidate in the future.

The Bucks shot just .404 from the field, but they held the Celtics to .368 field goal shooting. Other than a few swooping drives by Antetokoumpo and some slick moves by Brown, this game was not a showcase of beautiful offensive basketball, but it was a grimy, hard fought, and intense playoff game.

It is always a special treat when Hubie Brown is the color commentator. I miss the days when he was a member of his network's number one crew and he was always calling the biggest games, but I am grateful that the 88 year old Hall of Famer, 1975 ABA champion, and two-time NBA Coach of the Year (1978, 2004) is still sharp as ever and still sharing his basketball wisdom. Brown has lived through six decades of pro basketball history (1970s-2020s) as an assistant coach, head coach, and color commentator, but you can tell that he still loves the game and he is enthusiastic about the great players of today--such as Antetokounmpo--while also respecting the accomplishments of the great players from the past, a combination that far too many current commentators are unable or unwilling to pull off.

As is often the case, the first quarter provided a preview of how the game would proceed; contrary to popular belief/misconception, the NBA is just as much a first quarter league as it is a fourth quarter league. The Bucks led 22-19 after the first 12 minutes, nearly matching the final margin, and Antetokounmpo already had eight points and four rebounds while Tatum managed just two points on 1-5 field goal shooting. Antetokounmpo dominating while Tatum struggled to make a shot turned out to be two of this game's major themes.

The second quarter was a bit of an aberration, as the Celtics closed the stanza on a 7-0 run to lead 50-46 at the break. The Celtics are well-coached and they are usually poised, so regardless of how well or how poorly they are shooting they will find ways to stay competitive. However, some of that poise temporarily evaporated in the third quarter, as the Celtics committed five turnovers in the first six minutes to fuel Milwaukee's surge to an 80-66 lead. The score was 80-67 heading into the fourth quarter, and the Bucks led 88-76 with 9:10 remaining after Bobby Portis scored on a putback, but then the Celtics went on a 24-11 run to go ahead 100-99 on two Brown free throws with 1:49 left. On a couple possessions, the Celtics trapped Antetokounmpo and stayed at home on everyone but Connaughton, who missed two wide open three pointers. In those moments, the absence of injured All-Star Khris Middleton was particularly noticeable, because the ball would have been in his hands either to start or finish those plays. Holiday's subpar field goal percentage is probably also at least partially caused by him shouldering a larger offensive load than usual (it is doubtful that he would have attempted 30 shots had Middleton played). That takes nothing away from the Celtics' defensive game plan or their execution of that game plan, but just states the reality that even though the Bucks are in a good position without Middleton the series would look different if he were playing.

Antetokounmpo's driving layup and Holiday's short jumper put the Bucks up, 103-100. The Bucks fouled Marcus Smart with 4.6 seconds remaining. Smart made the first free throw, and he intentionally missed the second free throw. The Celtics failed to convert multiple putback chances before Horford tipped the ball in the hoop, but replay review confirmed that the ball was still in his hands when time expired.

There is no publicly announced timetable for Middleton's return, and without the matchup advantages he provides at both ends of the court game four will probably be another slugfest. The individual numbers will vary from game to game--Tatum will probably not shoot this poorly again, but Holiday will also probably not shoot 2-9 from the field in the fourth quarter--but Antetokounmpo's greatness and Milwaukee's size present formidable challenges even for this very good Boston team.

Labels: Al Horford, Boston Celtics, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks

posted by David Friedman @ 7:30 PM

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