Last night, the Boston Celtics pulled off a narrow 122-119 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden for their sixth straight win. It was by no means an easy win, even with Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined for the night with a hamstring injury, with the Celtics getting outscored 36-21 in the final frame. Boston shot a rocky 5-of-18 from the field, but shot 8-of-10 from the charity stripe with Jayson Tatum going a perfect 6-for-6 to put away Milwaukee.
After putting up some solid numbers in the first half, Tatum went without a shot attempt in the 3rd quarter, and went 1-of-6 in the 4th quarter. Boston’s superstar still filled the stat sheet and finished as the team’s leading scorer with 31 points on 9-of-19 shooting, 4-of-7 from deep, and 9-of-10 from the line to go along with 8 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
“I feel like we got some good looks,” said Tatum on his dry spell in the 3rd. “Maybe (I was) trying to be in a position to get other guys going. I knew I had it going in the first half, so at times picking the spots to be, or try to be, more of a facilitator. You know, sometimes it’s just how the rhythm of the game goes, it’s not like intentional…sometimes it’s just how the game is flowing.”
“It’s powerful. What that does for our team, how much better it makes us.”
Jayson Tatum talks watching Jaylen Brown take on Damian Lillard matchup pic.twitter.com/2BNrWt3w9s
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 21, 2024
Besides a rough 4th quarter, the Celtics were for the most part comfortable and in control against the Giannis-less Bucks, leading by as many as 21 points before a near-collapse late in the game. After notching their 55th win of the season, Boston whittles their magic number to clinch 1st seed in the Eastern Conference down to 3; after just one more win, the Celtics will be locked into the top two regardless of how the rest of the regular season goes.
“I thought Jayson’s poise down the stretch, of getting to the free throw line, getting to the spot that he wanted was a key to the game, “said head coach Joe Mazzulla. “That, and our defensive intensity as a team.”
Boston had held an 18-point lead heading into the 4th, where their offensive struggles let Milwaukee back into the game. Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston in the 3rd quarter, scoring 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting. “I don’t think me not shooting a whole quarter is something we’re gonna get used to,” said Tatum. “But you know, there are certain outliers during the season.”
Only twice in 69 games has anyone shot 53% or better against the Celtics…
…it was Milwaukee both times.
— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) March 21, 2024
A through line for the Celtics this season has been sacrificing for the betterment of the team, and guys being willing to take a backseat on a night-by-night basis as needed. Sometimes, that means resting, or maybe playing different roles while the team rides the hot hand any given game. Kristaps Porzingis previously praised both Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum for their sacrifices, specifically citing Tatum’s willingness to put team success over his MVP case.
Nights like Wednesday are a reminder of just how capable this Celtics roster is even if someone is having an off night, or how so much of their success has hinged on key players understanding their roles. A lot of teams struggle with finding the balance offensively, and for Boston, the challenge is greater with so much talent in the starting five alone and teams giving them their best shot on the defensive end. Over the past few seasons, the Celtics have struggled with playing against zone defense, and once again had to work around it in their win over the Bucks.
“We got some good looks,” said Tatum. “I say it all the time, it’s a make-or-miss league. We’re not going to make all of them, but generating good shots…the toughest part was we weren’t getting stops and they were allowing them to set their defense. They got hot, they made some shots, so credit to them.”
A lot will be said about this win by Boston, not because it was another win separating them from the rest of the east, but due to how much trouble Milwaukee gave them without Giannis in the lineup. The noise would’ve been a lot louder if the Celtics had spit the bit, and deservedly so. But alas, they survived and pulled out a tough win as the regular season inches closer to the end.
The Celtics lead the Eastern Conference by 11 games with 13 to go.
ELEVEN GAMES!
— Marc D’Amico (@Marc_DAmico) March 21, 2024
These kind of tough games, regardless of who is out, are important to building team success heading into the postseason. Some will choose to spin it to fit a narrative no matter what the outcome was. If the Celtics lost that game, it would become a dialog of losing to the Bucks without Giannis. Even if Boston had held the lead and let it balloon to 30 before the final buzzer, some people would chalk it up to Giannis being out, and just write the win off entirely. The NBA spin zone, albeit relentless, is anything but unpredictable. Sometimes, a win is just a win, a loss is just a loss, and putting too much weight or stock into it is a fool’s errand.
“It was ugly,” said Tatum, “But a win is a win. We’ll take it.” Boston plays again tomorrow night when they travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons.
