GAME:
WHO
WHEN
WHERE
RADIO
TV
BOX SCORE: NBA.COM
Starting Lineups:
Celtics
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Daniel Theis
C: Al Horford
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Daniel Theis
C: Al Horford
Bucks:
PG: Malcolm Brogdon
SG: Tony Snell
SF: Khris Middleton
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Thon Maker
SG: Tony Snell
SF: Khris Middleton
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Thon Maker
THIRD QUARTER THOUGHTS
- Celtics' defense was very sluggish early on, allowing Giannis and Bucks' shooters to get loose for easy buckets, posting 15 points in the first five minutes of the quarter after scoring just 44 in first half. A timeout stabilized things for Brad Stevens.
- Al Horford was just everywhere after the timeout. Irving carried most of the offensive load in the first half of the frame but Horford was crashing the glass and hit a pair of open 3s to help the C's close an eight-point gap. He finished the quarter with 13 points including a big alley-oop bucket to close things out.
- Jaylen Brown broke the ice with a couple of 3-point jumpers at the end of the frame, breaking up a 0-for-8 funk to start the game.
- Admirable job by Theis trying to contain Giannis, but he and Horford just had no chance against the guy in the open court. He posted 11 points in the frame himself, most of them coming early.
- Celtics closed out the quarter on a 7-0 run and erased a seven-point Bucks' lead in the frame.
SECOND QUARTER THOUGHTS
- After shooting 47 percent in the first quarter, the C's offense fell off a cliff in the second period. Team mustered just 27 percent shooting in second quarter, largely on the back of Irving (16 first half points). Plenty of open looks from 3-point range (3-of-16) that aren't going down.
- Just a miserable offensive first half for Jaylen Brown. Wide open shots from downtown and a missed dunk were the main lowlights of a 0-of-8 start. He's holding his own defensively but C's need him to punish the Bucks for letting him shot like the last four games.
- Aron Baynes and Jayson Tatum are the only Celtics to have made field goals outside of Horford and Irving
- Giannis started to get going towards the end of the quarter as the Bucks started use him as a screener, freeing him up more off the catch. C's have benefitted from a lot of missed good looks from Bucks as well as they have managed to keep this game tight in spite of 15-point quarter.
- Continued good job on the defensive glass by the C's (only 2 offensive rebounds for Bucks despite 43 percent shooting).
- Stevens is going to have his work cut out for him in second half to find the right combination to give C's offense some life. Baynes is one of the only guys hitting a jumper right now so wouldn't be surprised to see him with more minutes if Bucks go with Monroe or Henson at center.
- Tatum hasn't looked great since landing on the ankle of Tony Snell in the first quarter. Something to keep an eye on as game progresses.
FIRST QUARTER THOUGHTS
- Celtics really came out smooth offensively, outside of a few turnovers (including two 3-second violations). Ball is continuing to move well across the floor and the C's were aggressive attacking the rim, drawing nine free throws in the frame.
- Nice early minutes from Daniel Theis. Grabbed an offensive rebound out of the gate and just brought good minutes on both ends.
- Celtics started with Al Horford on Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak broke his ankles on one play early but succeeded in getting the ball out of his hands on most possessions. Took awhile for Giannis to heat up in Boston game too, but solid start by making other Bucks beat them.
- Kyrie Irving doesn't seem to have any issues with this Mecca floor. Scored a team-high nine points in the first quarter on a mix of jumpers and attacks at the rim.
- Some surprise offense from Aron Baynes, who was happy to take advantage of some lackluster defense by Greg Monroe.
- Marcus Smart was moving well in his six first quarter minutes. Was not forcing anything (did not attempt a shot) but that's probably a good thing for a Celtics offense that was rolling outside of the turnovers.
- This should probably be a double digit lead for the C's but seven first half turnovers prevented it.
PREGAME NOTES
- Marcus Smart (ankle) will be on a minutes restriction but will play after a two-game absence. He will come off the bench. "I'm working tonight," he said in the locker room before the game. "My ankle feels pretty good so I'm going to go out there and give it a shot. It felt real good in walkthrough today. And then warming up today it felt real good. So I'm going to give it a shot, but we're still going to take things slow, try to keep me on a minutes restriction, and just kind of ease me back into the process." Smart believes he'll be on a 4-5 minutes restriction each quarter.
- Daniel Theis will get his first career NBA start in just his fifth game as a rookie. The 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 5.7 ppg in his first four games but is coming off a career-high 11 points on Tuesday night against the Knicks. Against a Bucks lineup with plenty of length in their starting five up front with Thon Maker and Giannis, the Celtics will opt to use the long power forward to help slow down both players while saving Aron Baynes to guard Greg Monroe off the bench. Given Baynes' propensity for foul trouble (8 fouls per 36 minutes this season), it's a smart move by Stevens and one that shows good confidence in Theis.
- No update on Marcus Morris, who was not with the team at shootaround.
- Brad Stevens is very familiar with the Mecca, as his Butler teams battled UW-Milwaukee at the arena on multiple occasions each season. He is a fan of the old-school look of the court as well, which reminded him how much of a basketball junkie he is. “I like hoops.” he deadpanned. ‘I told my wife when I was in my fifth or sixth year at Butler my biggest regret is not taking a picture of every court that I’ve ever walked through in, coached in, all that other stuff because we could put together a heck of a compilation over the years.”