BSJ Game Report: Bucks 121, Celtics 119 - Comeback covers up same old blemishes

Everything you need to know about the Celtics 121-119 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, with BSJ's insight and analysis.

Box Score

Who are these guys? This is the million-dollar question. They alternately looked horrible and great in this game, bringing us no closer to any answers. On the one hand, they gave Milwaukee a ton of open looks and let Bobby Portis torch them for 21 points off the bench. On the other, the Celtics outscored Milwaukee by 9 in the second half, 12 in the fourth quarter. 

At least they fought, right? “I thought that just the way we played, the physicality, the aggressiveness, all that stuff in the comeback was really good,” Brad Stevens said. “I thought we missed several opportunities that were pretty good looks to either end up taking the lead or tie it. ... I think if we would have played better earlier maybe we'd be in better position, but guys hung together and competed.”

Maybe the trade deadline will change something? Either the Celtics will get some help and that guy will be able to make shots, or maybe the guys whose names are floating around will be relieved and get to playing better.

TURNING POINT

Marcus Smart missed 3 with 1:00 to go that would have put Boston up 1. It was the first of four straight misses in the final minute

TOP PLAY

https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1374873752496930820

FOUR UP 

The comeback: The last 18 minutes of this game were great for Boston. They outscored Milwaukee by 23, they hustled, they played defense. 

They played basketball. 

“I thought they just hit us in the mouth and kept punching and we were lucky to be within what we were even at halftime giving up 70 points,” Stevens said. “It didn't look good there at the start of the half but then guys went to it, you know, really played well, possession to possession, and gave us a chance to win.”

Kemba Walker’s second half: Kemba Walker playing well changes the dynamic of this team, so it’s no wonder that Brad Stevens emphasizes this whenever he can. Walker dropped 17 points on 58.3% shooting in the second half and made some key plays down the stretch. 

Jeff Teague: Let’s hear it for Teague, who has put together a pair of solid games after being an absolute disaster earlier in the season. Maybe it just took time for him to figure things out.  

Jaylen Brown: He had a monster first quarter and then disappeared offensively until the fourth quarter, where he dropped 8 points and had two key 3-pointers to give Boston a chance to win. 

TWO DOWN

Jayson Tatum: He had a little bit of a burst later in the fourth quarter, and he did finish with 5 assists and 2 blocks, so he wasn’t terrible in this game, but it’s clear that he needs to be more selective with the iso-heavy stuff and use his gravity as a scorer to do other things offensively to get the offense flowing early in the game. The iso stuff will always be there. He needs to move the ball more.

Marcus Smart: He was 2-10 from deep. I appreciate Smart’s confidence in the shot, and they weren’t all bad shots, but also Smart needs to remember he’s going to get those shots all night. There’s no need to take them mid-shot clock. He can still drive and work the ball around. 

Smart might tell me that those are good shots, and he’s not necessarily wrong. But giving up a good shot that he can get later in the shot clock to hunt for a great shot is where his mind needs to be. 

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

Unique times call for unique measures. I’ve said before that people need to step out of their comfort zones, and it’s time for Brad Stevens to do so and channel his inner Rick Carlisle. 

Carlisle is notoriously controlling of his team’s offense (maybe less so with Luka Doncic around). Find ways to get Walker the ball early on and see the ball go through the net. Call some plays to force Tatum towards the rim. Run more structured sets to force guys into places they might not normally go. 

This team needs an assist. They’re not going to do it on their own in the regular season. On good nights when the offense is humming, then great, let it hum. On bad nights, Stevens needs to swoop in and call something specific for someone. 

It’s obvious this team’s defense flows off of its offense. Stevens needs to push the right play-calling buttons to keep guys engaged rather than letting them figure it out. He might hate it, and under normal circumstances they might figure it out on their own, but nothing is normal here. 

Marcus Smart needs to come off the bench: I have come to the conclusion that I’d rather have Marcus Smart be a full-time point guard than share the responsibilities with Kemba Walker. He can still be in closing lineups, but Smart as the facilitator is important offensively to the team, and to himself. He’s not going to stop taking certain shots, so the Celtics can take them away from him by having him initiate the offense. The ball will still get back to him, but I’d rather see Smart find a corner to catch-and-shoot after a few swings of the ball than have him above the break taking pull ups.