The Celtics’ offense needed someone to step up in Game 7 and nearly the entire starting lineup proved to be up to the challenge. Terry Rozier and Al Horford both posted career playoff-highs with 26 points, while Jayson Tatum added 20 points, as the hosts overcame 32 points from Khris Middleton to pull away with a 112-96 win in Game 7 against the Bucks.
Jaylen Brown was sidelined for the second half of the matchup with a sore hamstring, but the C’s offense did not slow down without him. They posted 62 points after intermission thanks to some terrific ball movement and great scoring touch from their 20-point scorers. The C’s had a series-high 28 assists and shot 53 percent from the field as they kept the Bucks defense on their heels for the entire second half. They led by as many as 19 points in the victory despite strong individual performances from Middleton and Eric Bledsoe (23 points).
With the win, the Celtics advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals to face the Philadelphia 76ers. That matchup will tip off at the TD Garden on Monday night.
WHO: Celtics (3-3) vs. Bucks (3-3)
WHEN: 8 p.m.
WHERE: TD Garden
RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub
TV: TNT, NBC Sports Boston
Celtics
PG: Terry Rozier
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Semi Ojeleye
C: Al Horford
Bucks
PG: Eric Bledsoe
SG: Malcolm Brogdon
F: Khris Middleton
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Thon Maker
Fourth quarter notes
- Morris hits another spinning jumper with the shot-clock winding down.
- Giannis has five fouls with 8 minutes left but won't come out. Don't think they really have a choice at this point.
- A no-call on a bump against Rozier. Stevens isn't happy when a loose-ball foul on the Celtics follows.
- Rozier feeling it. Another 3 (5 of 7) gives him 24 points, eight assists.
- Middleton hits from 3 and his fouled by Horford.
- Larkin for 3 ... this one's over. Bring on Philly.
- Jaylen Brown starts the second half on the exercise bike after working out his hamstring injury a bit on the floor. He spent first few minutes of quarter testing it on the team's exercise bike but did not enter the game.
- Al Horford has put the Celtics offense on his back in the second half. He's made four field goals in the first five minutes of the quarter, punishing Thon Maker and whatever mismatch the Bucks have on him in the post. He hits the 24 point mark during the third quarter alone, just two points short of his career-high
- Bucks are scoring with their top three players, but the supporting cast remains a no show on the offensive end. Joe Prunty unwisely turns to Jason Terry and Shabazz Mohammed for a boost but both of those guys are weak links on the defensive ends.
- C's aren't hitting 3s or free throws consistently, but they are getting consistently easy finishes at the rim with Horford, Tatum and Rozier attacking wisely.
- Ojeleye continues to be a great deterrent for Giannis, who continues to have a very modest line (15 points on 12 FG attempts) by his standards.
- Bucks get their top guns back in the game quickly at the start of the frame, and throw in Jason Terry as a veteran who seems capable of handling the moment. Team responds with a 13-2 run to start the quarter in the first three minutes.
- Plenty of targeting of a mismatch by Middleton on Baynes for the first couple minutes led to open 3s and layups.
- Eric Bledsoe playing some damn good basketball for the first time all series. He's attacking the paint well and has a team-high 12 points in just 10 minutes of action.
- C's respond to 13-2 run with a 6-0 run of their own out of a Stevens timeout as they continue to feed Rozier in space to make a play off of the pick-and-roll. He's found Horford for a couple easy buckets and postups.
- Ojeleye draws a huge third foul on Eric Bledsoe midway through the quarter which sends him to the bench. He had been best offensive weapon for Bucks to that point.
- Jaylen Brown left the game late in the second quarter with what appeared to be some kind of hamstring injury. He
- Tatum out of control drive to start the game.
- Middleton misses open 3 for maybe the first time all series.
- Jaylen Brown and Tatum aggressive in attacking the rim early but they are also looking to find Horford as a roller to punish the Bucks for their switching.
- Giannis settling for jumpers as Celtics steer some extra help towards him.
- C’s running some hard doubles at Middleton early, leads to an open Maker 3.
- Good energy on offense from C’s early on but some ugly turnovers helped Bucks get first four points of the night in opening six minutes.
- Middleton gets an early rest midway through first quarter.
- C’s offense had a few bad possessions midway through frame, but starts to come to life once the Bucks bench gets into the game. Tatum abuses Parker and Zeller on back-to-back possessions to give himself a game-high seven points just eight minutes into the game.
- Life is hard once again for Giannis early on the offensive end, as he starts the game 1-of-4 with all of his shots coming a ways away from the rim. It’s the Bucks supporting cast that has been big early to provide the scoring.
- Celtics catch fire in the final five minutes of the frame against an overwhelmed Bucks bench unit plus Giannis. Dellavedova and Zeller combine for a few ugly turnovers, while the C's transition and halfcourt offense caught fire to produce a 20-2 run over final five minutes.
- The Celtics are 22-8 all-time in Game 7s, the best mark in league history for teams that have played more than one Game 7. The Bucks are 2-7 in Game 7s, including 0-6 on the road.
- Khris Middleton is having the best 3-point shooting postseason out of any guard in the league, knocking down 62.5 percent of his attempts through six games, despite averaging over five attempts per game.
- The Bucks have not won a postseason series since the 2001 Conference Semifinals against the Hornets. They've lost seven straight series overall.
- More than half of Terry Rozier's 3-point attempts during the postseason have been from 3-point range. He's averaging 7.8 per game over the first six games of the matchup.