What Happened as the Celtics Held Off the Bucks in the Final Frame Rally

Despite the absence of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for the Milwaukee Bucks’ game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, Jaylen Brown—who was earlier deemed doubtful due to a right ankle sprain—was cleared to play.
Nevertheless, Sam Hauser and former Buck Jrue Holiday were not there for the hosts of this match at TD Garden. However, the six-foot-eight sniper warmed up on the floor beforehand. It is likely that he will return.

Jayson Tatum got right to work, scoring 10 points in the opening five minutes of an Eastern Conference matchup between the top two teams, despite a ten-game difference between them.
The Celtics established a double-digit lead thanks to that, their ability to guard the paint, and smart substitutions that helped slow down Milwaukee after a scorching start from beyond the arc.
However, Tatum’s benching caused the offense to stagnate. Nevertheless, the defense held true even when producing buckets became more difficult. This includes the time the hosts switched to a double-big lineup with Brook Lopez being defended by Xavier Tillman and Kristaps Porzingis on Jae Crowder.
By matching up in that manner, the latter was able to defend the pick-and-roll more actively. In addition to contesting a miss off the drive that clanged off the backboard and blocking the passing lane on a failed attempt to get the ball back to Damian Lillard, the former Michigan State Spartan also challenged shots and ran Malik Beasley off the three-point line, which allowed Derrick White to steal the ball and score two points on a breakaway.
With 11 points and 4 assists at the end of the first quarter, the former Colorado Buffalo led all players in both categories. Tatum led Boston to a 33-28 lead heading into the second quarter with 10 points, which was the second-highest total in the first twelve minutes.
The C’s have scored at least 30 points in the first quarter in at least 15 of the last 16 games, according to Dick Lipe of NBC Sports Boston.
Payton Pritchard’s narrative took center stage in the second frame.
In the quarter, the fourth-year guard made 4/5 of his shots, playing a little trick on Danilo Gallinari before launching a three-pointer from the right corner.
In addition, he contributed significantly to team and on-ball defense by using pressure and smart shifts to neutralize the Bucks’ possible advantages. And it infuriated the TD Garden crowd when he lunged in to steal an offensive rebound from Lopez.
Pritchard had 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists going into the half.
In addition, Boston’s 69-56 halftime advantage may be attributed to their inability to force nine turnovers, convert them into 11 points, and give up only three baskets.
At the half, Tatum had scored 23 points on 8 of 13 shots, including 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
With 13 points each, Lillard and Khris Middleton led the visiting team in the first 24 minutes.
The Celtics continued to take advantage of Milwaukee’s disjointed defense in the third quarter, particularly when they dialed up pick-and-pops to exploit drop coverage that opened up the screener for threes.
Additionally, Jaylen Brown tore up the opposition’s defense, easily handling Middleton on a baseline drive to the basket.
Tatum played 7:05 in the quarter, but instead of pressing the issue, he didn’t try a shot during that time. Even though it’s extreme, it shows how unselfish he is and how eager he is to always make the correct decision, no matter what.
Boston led 101-83 going into the last 12 minutes, despite the former Duke Blue Devil not contributing to the score. His teammates made 5/10 threes, shot 45.5 percent from the field, and scored 32 points.
The Bucks were within ten points many times in the fourth quarter thanks to cold shooting, which included a miss by Kristaps Porzingis that dropped him to 5/14, including 0/4 from three-point range, and Tatum missing on his first four tries.
Milwaukee was kept at a distance by the hosts thanks to an old-fashioned three-point play by Derrick White, who attacked the basket patiently and used an up-fake to create an opportunity and force a foul before completing through contact.
So did White’s three-pointer after another possible old-fashioned three-point play (for Al Horford this time) that was negated by a soft offensive foul. With less than 6:30 remaining, the former Florida Gator would have gone to the line and had a chance to put his side up by sixteen if the referees had made a different decision.
Rather, Lillard made a three-pointer to keep the visitors within 10. It was vital for a faltering offense that White responded to his make with one on the opposite end.
Not helping either was a technical on Tatum and Brown going 0/2 from the stripe with 3:05 left and the Bucks within six, 110-104.
With 2:56 remaining, a jumper by left wing Bobby Portis cut the advantage to 110-107, but two free throws by Tatum—who then drove to the hoop for a layup from the left side of the cylinder—brought Boston’s lead to 114-107 with 1:38 remaining.

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