A 13-point third quarter from Giannis Antetokounmpo had the Milwaukee Bucks up 11 on their home court at the end of the third quarter. The Fiserv Forum was electric, but Al Horford was quick to pull the plug in the fourth.
Horford set a playoff career-high in scoring with 30 points to go along with eight rebounds, as Boston evened the series against Milwaukee 2-2.
Al Horford is the oldest Celtics player with a 30-point game in the playoffs since John Havlicek did it in Game 2 of the 1977 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the 76ers. Havlicek was 37.
This is also Horford’s first career 30-point game in 132 playoff games. pic.twitter.com/0sU2RFW5LN
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 10, 2022
Jayson Tatum, despite the early struggles, picked up the offense in crunch time and reached 30 points. Jaylen Brown got in foul trouble, and finished with only 18 points. Marcus Smart was the closer for Boston, he finished with 18 points and eight assists.
The Bucks entered the pivotal Monday night tip up 2-1 after winning game three in dramatic fashion. The defending champions held off a late Celtics run that ended with missed tip-in opportunities to send the game to overtime.
Ninety minutes before tipoff, Robert Williams was announced as out with left knee soreness, making game four the fifth game of eight Williams missed this postseason.
The Bucks started off on a 6-0 run through two minutes, as the Celtics offense committed a few fouls and turned the ball over early. As the defenses held strong, the Bucks kept a significant edge through six minutes, 13-6.
Milwaukee was consistently exposing the Celtics’ rotations and finding open looks behind the arc in the first. Up 19-11, the Bucks were 3/7 from deep.
Coming out of a timeout with three minutes left in the first, Boston picked up on the offensive end. Tatum hit a pull-up, then Horford nailed a three to cut the lead to five. But, the Bucks continued to work inside and stay strong defensively. The home team led 25-18 after one. Boston shot 8/22 from the floor.
The Celtics started the second with a Tatum-less lineup, hoping to limit him as he had two fouls. Down three, Tatum came back in and drilled a game-tying three, creating the first tie of the night at 31.
Boston took its first lead after Horford’s second three of the night, 34-33 with six and a half to go in the second quarter. Horford started 4/4 from the field and 2/2 from deep for 11 points.
After a sluggish first quarter, the Celtics offense found some footing by using pick and rolls with two guards, attempting to attack mismatches. Milwaukee’s size granted them mismatches too, the Bucks had nine offensive rebounds early for eight second-chance points.
Both teams struggled offensively, continuing the defensive trend established in the first three games. Each team was forced to rely more on fast break opportunities than half-court sets to score. Another slugfest resulted in a 48-47 halftime score, Milwaukee leading.
Tatum, Brown and Grant Williams struggled on offense, combining to shoot 7/22 from the floor. Smart had seven points and four assists, while playing good defense on Antetokounmpo. Horford led the Celtics in scoring with his 11 points on still-perfect 4/4 shooting. Tatum led the Celtics with seven rebounds at the break.
For Milwaukee, it was Antetokounmpo driving the bus, scoring 15 and grabbing 11 rebounds. Jrue Holiday was doing it all with seven points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Bucks lead 48-47 at the half
Brown – 11 points
Horford – 11 points
Tatum – 9 points
Celtics – 40% FGs
Celtics – 6-21 threes
Celtics – 7 TOsGiannis – 15/11/2
Connaughton – 8 points
Holiday – 7 points
Bucks – 35.3% FGs
Bucks – 5-17 threes
Bucks – 4 TOs
Bucks – 10 ORs— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) May 10, 2022
The Celtics held the Bucks to 35% from the floor, the worst for Milwaukee in this postseason. The seven Boston turnovers and lack of shotmaking on the offensive end kept the Bucks on top.
Milwaukee opened up the second half solid, relying on Antetokounmpo’s drives to create for the rest of the team. Antetokounmpo had six points in the first four minutes and was freeing up his teammates on the perimeter as Boston sent double teams.
Tatum started to find his rhythm again in the third, scoring nine in the first five minutes to pull Boston within a possession. A stepback three on Pat Connaughton set the score at 63-61 as Milwaukee called a timeout.
Antetokounmpo was unstoppable in the third, getting past anyone the Celtics threw at him and wearing down the defense. He finished with 13 points in the third. The Celtics offense slowed down and Antetokounmpo kept his foot on the gas, and the Bucks took a double-digit lead nearing the end of the third, 76-65.
The Celtics struggled with fouls as the third wore on, Brown had five after an overturned charge went on him and Grant Williams had four. Brown had to sit after the fifth, which came with a minute and a half remaining in the third.
Derrick White hit a corner three to turn a double-digit lead into seven, 80-73. The Bucks carried that seven-point lead into the fourth, led by Antetokounmpo’s 28 points and 17 rebounds.
After a quick 5-0 Celtics run, the Bucks’ lead was only two with ten minutes remaining. A massive poster from Horford on Antetokounmpo, the Celtics tied the game at 80.
Horford continued his momentum, hitting a midrange jumper then another three to give the Celtics an 88-85 lead with eight minutes to go. After his fourth three (4/6), Horford had 24 points and seven rebounds, taking over the fourth quarter with nine points in four minutes.
White was providing a lot on the defensive end. He held the Bucks perimeter players to 0/9 shooting when he was the primary defender, per ESPN Stats and Info.
Horford hit a playoff career-high on his fifth made three, reaching 27 points. The next possession he hit an and-one hook shot to reach 30, leading all scorers. He outscored the Bucks in the fourth 16-14 on his own with five minutes remaining.
As Antetokounmpo sat, the Celtics built their lead. Tatum hit back-to-back layups, including an and-one, awakening from a tough shooting night in the clutch. Smart drew a charge on Antetokounmpo up seven, then Tatum buried a pullup three to put Boston up 10.
The Celtics held on to even the series and gain a crucial victory. Tatum reached 30 to join Horford.
For more postgame coverage of the Celtics game four victory, tune into the the Garden Report Postgame Show LIVE on CLNS Media right after the game. Join A Sherrod Blakely, Bobby Manning, Josue Pavon, Jimmy Toscano and host John Zannis for a full breakdown. Plus, the guys will discuss Al Horford’s career night.
