Banner Town Breakdown: Celtics vs. Bucks
AP Photo | Morry Gash
Finally, the regular season is upon us! Boston drew the shortest straw, facing off against the new-and-improved Milwaukee Bucks at the TD Garden. Looking to get back on the right track is a difficult task, let alone against back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (35 pts, 13 reb, 2 blks). Boston will need to learn how their rotations and offense will work while they are short-handed, and a marquee matchup is essentially a trial by fire at this point (perhaps even trial by combat).
Boston took until less than 20 minutes before tipoff to announce the starting lineup, and with Tristan Thompson (12 pts, 8 rebs, 1 ast) cleared to play the Celtics chose to start a two big lineup vs. the Bucks frontcourt of Giannis and Brook Lopez (7 pts, 3 rebs, 2 blks). With Kemba Walker recovering, it does beg the question if Boston will stay with this starting lineup moving forward until his return, or if Marcus Smart (3 pts, 1 reb, 7 ast, 2 blks) will eventually shift back to the bench and the gritty duo of Theis (10 pts, 3 rebs, 3 ast) and Thompson will remain at the 4 and 5.
With Tristan Thompson healthy, the only Celtics on the injury report are the expected absences of Kemba Walker (knee strengthening) and Romeo Langford (wrist surgery), with Tacko Fall still recovering from eye irritation.
The 1st quarter went a lot better for Boston than their preseason exhibitions, and both teams came out of the gates swinging. The offense looked more fluid but still a little clunky. However, the defensive effort was worlds different, and you can’t help but think the presence of Thompson with the starting five has something to do with that.
Boston looked more composed and calmer, and with another strong big on the interior, Theis was able to slide out to the perimeter as needed to contest shots. Theis also contributed from deep early, hitting 2/2 from deep, and demonstrated a better three-ball.
On the quarter, Boston shot an improved 7/15 from three, which was needed after the throes of the preseason. Despite the improved play, the Bucks were still ahead narrowly 34-31 to close out the quarter. Milwaukee shot 5/13 from the arc, but naturally did their dirty work on the interior shooting 9/10 in the paint.
In the 2nd quarter, the Bucks managed to stretch the lead to 9, as Boston dealt with Milwaukee’s punishment in the paint as well as their deadly fastbreak offense (18 points in transition on the night to Boston’s 5). However, Boston was relentless, and the team began to shoot with even more confidence, especially from range. Within the last six minutes of the half, Boston got hot and locked down defensively, ripping off a 19-4 run as they approached the final minute of the half. Boston closed out the 1st half with a 64-59 lead over Milwaukee after shooting 5/10 from range and 6/12 inside.
As the game trickled into the 2nd half, Boston surprisingly flipped the narrative and began to stretch the lead out, shooting 5/9 from deep and smothering Giannis at every opportunity they could. The Greek Freak produced 7 turnovers and five personal fouls on the night, four of which were offensive (Marcus Smart drew three charges, Grant Williams the other). With a decisive lead in hand, Jayson Tatum drained a deep three over Giannis to lead Boston into the 4th quarter with a handy 101-84.
However, Milwaukee just refused to die. The Bucks came into the 4th on a mission and ended up dropping a whopping 37 points to close the game out, shooting a sizzling 5/11 from range and consistently attacking the basket. With 4 minutes left, Milwaukee tied the game up 113-113, and all of a sudden Boston’s lead evaporated.
The two rivals traded blow after blow, and with time whittling down Milwaukee had a slim 120-119 lead over Boston. After a miss by Khris Middleton (), Jayson Tatum recovered the rebound with less than 24 seconds left. The Bucks fouled Jaylen Brown with a foul to give, and Boston inbounded the ball with 8.9 seconds left, and for all the marbles, Tatum hit a 27-foot bank shot over the outstretched arm of Giannis to put Boston on top 122-120 with .4 seconds remaining.
The drama wasn’t over, as the Bucks threw an inbound pass near the rim as a last-ditch effort for Giannis, and as time expired a foul was called on Tristan Thompson. But, as the saying goes, ball don’t lie; Giannis missed the 2nd free throw, time expired, and Boston closed out their first win of the season in electrifying and stress-inducing fashion.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 33 points (13/24), 5 rebounds, and 4 assists (2 stl, 1 blk), Jayson Tatum had himself a night with 30 points (12/28), 7 rebounds, and 2 assists (2 stl, 1 blk) in addition to the game-winner. The Bucks was led by Giannis Antetokounmpo with 35 points (13/26) with 13 rebounds and 2 assists (2 blks, 7 TOs). Khris Middleton chipped in 27 points (10/20) with 14 rebounds and 8 assists. Newcomers Jrue Holiday (25 pts, 10/16 shooting) and Jeff Teague (19 pts, 7/15 shooting, 4/4 from 3) made their presence felt and contributed to their teams.
After the game, Jaylen Brown had nothing but praise for Jayson Tatum’s big shot:
"Hell of a shot by JT, and I know all the Celtics fans were going crazy. We appreciate you guys. Keep sending your energy."
I’m sure the Garden doesn’t feel the same without fans present, but with the banners surrounding the court, it was still a sight for sore eyes. Boston’s effort was much more improved in this outing overall, and with their starting lineup more solidified, their defense looked locked in and more consistent. Boston only had 6 turnovers on the night in addition to shooting 47.5% from deep, all of which is a vast improvement. It’s exciting to see things starting to click, so let’s see how they handle Brooklyn on Christmas Day. Happy Holidays folks, and stay safe out there!
