BSJ Game Report: Celtics 122, Bucks 114 - 3-point barrage fuels another reason to have hope

Everything you need to know about the Celtics 122-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, with BSJ’s insight and analysis.

Box Score

Make/Miss something something: The Celtics hit 22 3-pointers, making nearly half of them again. This is a make/miss league, we’ve been told, and the makes are quite helpful when you want to win a basketball game. 

“It helps when you shot as well as we did,” Brad Stevens said, emphasizing that driving and kicking out for 3-pointers has to be the mindset. “You have to generate them the right way. We want layups, we want to get to the rim.”

This was kind of predictable. Allow me to quote myself from after the loss Wednesday: “That’s how this treadmill works. Friday will be the big bounce-back win to give us the ‘hmmm, maybe they’re not so bad’ feeling.” 

Sorry to be cynical, but this season has pounded that into my brain. I also said tomorrow would be a shorthanded loss, but I will rescind that if Evan Fournier plays. 

TURNING POINT

It was a six-point game with 9:29 to go in the third quarter when Robert Williams came through with a putback and free throw. The Celtics' next three shot attempts were all made 3-pointers and suddenly, 1:06 later, it was a 16 point game. 

TOP PLAY

Defense to offense

https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1375611825346260992

SIX UP

Jayson Tatum: He was fully in his bag, scoring 34 points on 13-18 shooting. He also had 7 assists and 6 rebounds. It was just a beauty of a performance after a couple of, frankly, subpar games. He clearly felt good about himself in this one.

Robert Williams: He was all over the place. This was one of the best games of his career. Just 7 points, but 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks, 2 steals, and no turnovers. 

“He did a good job,” Stevens said after the game. “I don't think it's the biggest surprise that scoring opportunities may not be there as much in the starting lineup just because you're playing against the best players. But I thought he did a great job impacting the game with his rebounding and his passing, and he certainly is a threat down there at the rim.”

This is a big opportunity for Williams. Tristan Thompson is still in the health and safety protocols and Mo Wagner and Luke Kornet aren’t threats to take his minutes. He’ll have a few more starts to maybe solidify his starting role. 

Kemba Walker: He scored 15 of his 21 in the first half, getting going early and setting the tone for the Celtics. This should be an emphasis for the Celtics. Walker cooking early helps everyone because he draws so much attention. 

Marcus Smart: He broke through his shooting slump like the Kool Aid man. He hit 7-10 from deep and finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. He also got back to playing some of his trademark defense. His fighting through a screen to break up an alley-oop to Giannis was beautiful.

OH YEAH!

Jaylen Brown: He quietly hit 4-9 from 3 and left with an easy 18 point game. He hit one of those 3’s that helped get some separation in the 3rd quarter. 

Moe Wagner: Wagner got some run earlier than expected but he hit a 3-pointer and actually sprung Jayson Tatum with a seal play Daniel Theis was known for. 

“I mean, I did that with the Wizards as well. I’ve actually watched Daniel, does a great job with it … I’ve been trying to copy that for a long time,” Wagner said. “I’ve been doing it this year too. I think watching (Marcin) Gortat with the Wizards a couple years back, he was elite at it. And Daniel is kind of bringing it back. So yeah, I try it here and there. I try to get my guys open as much as I can.”

ONE DOWN

Tacko Fall: This hurts me, but Tacko looked especially slow out there. His 8 minutes were not great. He’s had a couple of good moments this season but this isn’t one of them.

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

Here we go … this win was, indeed, encouraging.

Yeah, I’m still on the treadmill. 

“We needed to play better. We felt like there was a lot we could build off of in the last two quarters of the last game,” Stevens said. “Defensive intensity and the reliability of all five guys when every possession was number one.”

The Celtics played a pretty good game against a pretty good team, and they won. So on the surface, this is a good thing. 

It’s very possible the treadmill I described Wednesday is still in effect. They face a tough Oklahoma City Thunder team tomorrow night. Things could easily go south again and we’ll be right back where we were, going in circles. 

There are two things that are different this time around, though. 

1.  They made a trade, and those players are on expiring contracts, so they have things they want to prove. 

Evan Fournier being part of a big Boston turnaround would make his agent very happy. Wagner can put dollar signs in his agent’s eyes by coming in, hitting 3’s, and providing a lot of energy off the bench. 

The new blood can be an infusion of energy that could, possibly, give the rest of this team the lift they desperately need. 

2. They’ll have fans now.

The Celtics will have at least a few thousand fans in the building, which certainly won’t blow the roof off the place but it will give them something to play to on the court. When Robert Williams catches a lob, there will be actual humans in the building to react to it. 

It’s not nothin’.

Boston is 1.5 games out of the fourth seed, and they face two of the teams ahead of them during the seven-game homestand which starts Monday.

This might be their last shot at an honest-to-goodness turnaround. If new blood and fans in the building can’t break this cycle, then nothing will.