4 keys for undermanned Celtics in showdown with Bucks

After feasting on some of the NBA’s worst teams during the last 13 games, the undermanned Celtics will face off with the second-best team in the NBA (by record) on Friday night in a nationally televised showdown. The C’s took down the Bucks once already this year thanks to a historic 3-point shooting night but they will be down a couple key pieces (Al Horford, Aron Baynes) in this rematch as the schedule starts to toughen up. Here are four keys for the Celtics to keep an eye on in the heavyweight clash:

1. Sharp defensive rotations are a must on the perimeter: The Bucks are taking more 3s than almost anyone in the league and this is a byproduct of Mike Budenholtzer’s offense and it has only grown since the Bucks added another capable guard in George Hill last month. Milwaukee is getting up over 39 3-point attempts per game as they attempt to achieve maximum spacing around Giannis Antetokounmpo who has developed into a non-threat from downtown (12.5 percent!) this year. Eleven different players are shooting 35 percent or better from downtown on the year, making the C’s essentially need to be accountable for all four other players on the floor at all times. Some guys (Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton) will be bigger priorities than others (Thon Maker, Eric Bledsoe) but the C’s will need to be in scramble mode all night while balancing trying to prevent Giannis from getting into the paint at will and surrendering open 3-point looks. The good news for Boston? Sharpshooting big Ersan Ilyasova is out for this contest with a broken nose. His fill-in (DJ Wilson) has played well though in recent weeks so he’s worth watching.

2. Who gets Giannis duty with Horford and Baynes out? The two bigs have always been two of Boston’s more trusted defenders against the Greek Freak, so the pressure is ramped up now against a shorthanded frontcourt. Morris (sore knee) is expected to be back in action after a one-game absence but sticking with Antetokounmpo on drives with a balky wheel is going to be a tall task especially when the C’s need Morris producing points all night to keep pace with Milwaukee’s third-ranked offense.

“I don’t know if there’s anybody in a video game that dunks it like he does,” Brad Stevens said today. “Five dunks a game, as a wing? I mean, it’s just a joke. He’s super. I mean, what else can you say? We could go through all the accolades and all the adjectives -- he’s just a special player and he presents a lot of problems.”

The guess here is we are going to see a lot of Semi Ojeleye, who actually got the start in the team’s first matchup this year and played one of his best games of the season. There is no question Ojeleye will start if Morris can’t go but I would expect him to be the first sub off the bench early so he can match up his minutes with Giannis. He nearly posted his season-high with 22 minutes in that contest and knocked down a pair of 3s. If he can get comfortable early from beyond the arc, look for Stevens to ride him in this matchup to help take some pressure off of the rest of the Celtics’ defense.

3. The Robert Williams wildcard: The rookie played less than a minute in the first matchup of the season between these two teams but it’s become evident in the past couple of weeks than his defensive skillset should be valuable in this one for a couple reasons. We know how lethal his shot blocking has been (over seven blocks per 36 minutes) and the Bucks have the best two-point field goal percentage in the league, largely due to their ability to finish well at the rim. Williams will do his best to make life tougher in that department but his bigger value will likely come from contesting on the perimeter. He has the speed and wingspan to close openings quickly and that will make him a valuable contributor with guys like Brook Lopez chucking up nearly five attempts per game from downtown. Daniel Theis will get the starting nod but his foot speed and fouling has been an issue all year. It wouldn’t surprise me if Williams ends up playing bigger minutes than him tonight. The Bucks aren’t a big threat on the offensive glass (due to their perimeter shooting) so if the C’s wings box out they should be okay in that area compared to their woeful Wednesday outing against DeAndre Ayton.

4. Can C’s pick apart the Bucks’ defensive scheme again? The pick-and-pop was the play call virtually all night back in November for the C’s as the Bucks’ bigs hung back in the paint on switches and allowed Boston’s shooters to knock down 24 3s on the night. This hasn’t been an isolated incident all year long as the Bucks have been content to allow opponents to take more 3s (36.1 per game) than any other team in the association. The question that’s worth watching now is whether the hosts have enough reliable firepower to make them pay with Horford sidelined and Morris ailing. Jaylen Brown has been in a huge funk, Ojeleye is still shooting 27 percent from 3-point range and Williams does not take 3s. It’s going to be important for Theis (38.5 percent from 3) to command some respect on the perimeter to help keep the Bucks defense honest. The bench supporting cast also needs to be on the mark since the rest of the Bucks’ defense (No. 1 in defensive rebounds and free throws allowed) is quite sound. Scoring in the paint isn’t going to come easy so it’s on the C’s shooters to fire away with confidence.