5 adjustments to watch for in Game 3 of Celtics-Bucks

MILWAUKEE -- The Celtics will be looking to put away the Bucks with a couple of chances at wins over the next 48 hours. A few adjustments to keep an eye ahead of a pivotal Game 3 on Friday night.

1. Who starts at center for the Bucks if John Henson can’t go? The starting Bucks big man is listed as doubtful for Game 3 with a sore back. He’s been mediocre for much of the series so far. He’s made open shots when he’s taken them in the paint but his lack of perimeter range hasn’t helped a Bucks offense with spacing. Henson is a shot-blocking presence on defense but his rotations and overall awareness leave something to be desired.

With that said, the Bucks depth chart at center looks mighty thin behind him. There is old friend Tyler Zeller and second-year big man Thon Maker who is 7-foot-1 but rebounds like a small forward. The C’s frontcourt should hold a sizable advantage over both, even though Zeller can get frisky on the offensive glass and in transition.

“It’ll be interesting to see what they decide to do with that. Obviously, they could start Maker, if he doesn’t play; they could start Tyler, if he doesn’t play -- both of those guys have started,” Brad Stevens said Friday. “They could play small, whatever the case may be. I thought when they went small and we went small, we did some good things.”

The question for head coach Joe Prunty is whether he wants to buy some time with Zeller and Maker at the center at the start of each half or start off right away with a small-ball look (Giannis Antetokounmpo at the five).

That would open up a lot of possibilities for the Bucks from an offensive spacing standpoint, but would also leave the Bucks very vulnerable on the glass and in the post. The guess here is that Zeller gets the nod for Game 3, but Milwaukee could get desperate quickly. They can’t afford another poor start in a must-win Game 3.

2. Does Jabari Parker get more of a shot? The reserve power forward has been griping about his playing time over the past couple of days. The door should be open for him to get a bigger chance, particularly with Henson likely to be sidelined, since that's a lot of minutes to fill for Milwaukee. Henson has played 74 minutes this series, the third most on the Bucks behind Middleton and Antetokounmpo. The question is whether the Bucks have enough trust in the 22-year-old Parker to hand him that opportunity.

He’s been a nightmare on the defensive end over the first two games, and his offensive strengths are limited against a Celtics front line that has a lot of different bodies to throw at him (Marcus Morris, Jayson Tatum, Semi Ojeleye). There are really no good alternatives deeper down the bench for Prunty at power forward, so Prunty may have to swallow hard and throw Parker to the wolves. Otherwise, he’s going to have to stick with Khris Middleton playing some power forward if the Bucks are going to go small and that’s a tall task for the thin 6-foot-8 wing, who struggles in the post against the C's bigs.

3. How much do the Celtics adjust their rotations if Bucks go small from the start? Brad Stevens has a great small ball lineup to go with to counter Milwaukee with Rozier/Brown/Tatum/Morris/Horford. That group has great versatility on the defensive end and shooting pretty much everywhere. The problem with the Bucks committing to going small all game long (if they go that route) is that the C’s have limited depth on the wings. Shane Larkin is a reliable piece that should be in line for big minutes if the Bucks opt for constant three-guard lineups, but Semi Ojeleye, Guerschon Yabusele and Abdel Nader are all unproven rookies that will be facing their first road playoff environment. Leaning on a couple of these guys would be a tough ask for bench minutes.

Greg Monroe and Aron Baynes are the more proven performers but neither can guard Giannis if he’s playing center. The C’s managed to get away with hiding Monroe defensively on a non-wing shooter when he played alongside Horford in Game 2, but the Bucks could really force the C’s hand on that front by going with three smaller shooting guards (Bledsoe, Brogdon, Dellavedova) with Middleton and Antetokounmpo. That would leave the Celtics with no obvious spot for their bigs. The question is whether the Celtics roll with their bigs anyway if the Bucks go this route and punish the Bucks on the boards and on postups. A 2-3 zone might also come into play to help protect the bigs from mismatches. It should be an interesting chess game between Stevens and Prunty.

4. What can the Celtics do to slow down Khris Middleton? Antetokounmpo may be getting all of the headlines but Middleton has given the C’s just as many problems throughout this whole series. He’s shooting an absurd 64 percent from the field and 69 percent from 3-point range while averaging 28 points per game over the first two games of the series. Subpar performances from the rest of the Bucks wings have enabled the Celtics to grind out wins in spite of these superb efforts in Boston, but the Bucks should be more comfortable in their home arena on Friday night. If one of Milwaukee’s third options (Bledsoe, Parker, Brogdon) play to their potential, the C’s could have a problem on their hands against the small ball lineups they are likely to see. Boston has one of the best defenses in the league but they don’t have a defender that can really stick with Middleton through screens and on drives. Jaylen Brown has the best shot at slowing the veteran down though with his athleticism and he’s going to need to be on high alert in Game 3 to avoid a repeat performance.

5. Will the Celtics be able to score on the road? Most teams are worst offensive teams on the road, even though it’s an encouraging fact that the C’s were better on the road than at the TD Garden during the regular season. Boston’s offensive rating was two points on the road and that’s largely due to poor shooting and an increased turnover percentage. With a formidable crowd awaiting the Celtics at the Bradley Center on Friday night, they are going to have to maintain their composure against an energized Bucks squad.

“This is going to be a great environment,” Stevens said. “It’s a ton of fun to play at home in the playoffs but it’s a ton of fun to play on the road if you’re a competitor. And one of the things that I want our guys to do is really kinda relish the challenge of getting a chance to play on the road against a really good team. We’ve done that all year and my expectation is that we’ll be mature about our approach and we’ll compete.”

Defensive aggression will likely be ramped up since that’s the one thing the Bucks do well on the defensive end (No. 1 in league in forcing turnovers). The C’s will need to stay patient and assertive with the ball, finding the holes with the Bucks’ defense that led to countless good looks in Boston. The C’s know they can play better defensively after the first two games, particularly in transition. They can’t do much better on the offensive end from Game 2, but they’ll need to avoid a sharp drop off on that front.