BSJ Game Report: Bucks 131, Celtics 125 (OT) - Valiant effort by shorthanded C's falls just short

Everything you need to know about the Celtics overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks with BSJ insight and analysis. 

IN A NUTSHELL

The first quarter went about as good as anyone could ask with Boston putting up 35 points (10 from Mike Muscala), putting Brook Lopez in foul trouble, and coming out of it with an 8-point lead. Giannis Antetokounmpo came storming into the second quarter to erase that, but the Celtics were able to force turnovers and score to hold Milwaukee off until Boston hit a late-half cold streak. They got back to forcing turnovers and converting on the other end, putting together a  20-5 run to open up a 14-point third-quarter lead, but a 12-3 answer (and Jrue Holiday 41 foot buzzer beater) cut it to 5. The run extended into the fourth and the Bucks built a lead but Boston kept hanging around. The Bucks put together another late run to take the lead, but Sam Hauser’s 3 sent it into overtime. The Celtics had a strong start to the OT, but Holiday was a beast the whole game, and his 3-pointer with 25 seconds left was the difference.

Box Score

HEADLINES 

Great effort: Let’s just start here. The Celtics played tough for 53 minutes of basketball against a nearly full-strength Bucks team (they were only missing Bobby Portis and Jae Crowder). They made mistakes and they had chances to win this game had they not made a couple of them, but also this was a game Milwaukee should have won by 40. 

Where was Robert Williams? He was questionable before the game, but then he was upgraded to available. Then he didn’t start and he only played 13 minutes. Mazzulla didn’t give any reason for the limited playing time. I personally thought it might be a matchup thing, but Joe Mazzulla was unwilling to shed any light on it. 

Big minutes: Grant Williams played 47:31. Mike Muscala played 43:46. Derrick White played 43:04. These are guys not used to playing big minutes. We probably shouldn’t be too surprised by a little bit of sloppiness at the end of the game. 

TURNING POINT

The Bucks put together a quick 6-0 run over 1:22 to turn a 6-point deficit into a 1-point lead. Brogdon briefly gave Boston the lead back, but Holiday was feeling it and he hit a 3-pointer with 25.2 left to give Milwaukee the lead for good. 

SECOND GUESS

Mazzulla admitted that he should have called the timeout during the final possession. Considering White spent nearly 10 seconds without getting into any spot where he was comfortable, this was a chance for Mazzulla to set things up. 

This was a poor read of the situation from Mazzulla. This isn’t the group to let figure things out. This is a group that will likely never be together on the floor again this season. This was an opportunity to steal the win, so he should have gotten everyone settled and into a play where they had some guidance. 

I understand why Mazzulla generally doesn’t call timeouts if there are good matchups or he likes what he sees, but this was a pretty obvious situation for the coach to step in and he didn’t. 

FOUR UP 

Derrick White: The Player of the Week had another big game. 27 points, 12 assists, 3 steals on the night. He hit some big shots and it looked like for a minute he was going to lead the Celtics to the win in overtime. 

“He’s playing at an All-Star level,” Malcolm Brogdon told reporters after the game. He’s a starter on any other team in this league and he’s proven that every single night.” 

Mike Muscala: His play faded over the course of the game, but he was on fire early and he finished with 18 points on 7-16 shooting. I think the nearly 44 minutes was a bit much for him, which was evident by a late airball. But also, kudos to him for stepping in and playing a game like this in his third game as a Celtic. 

Blake Griffin: He was pretty good early and then he didn’t play down the stretch. He had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists in 24:04. 

Sam Hauser: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and the game-tying 3-pointer to send it into overtime. He also played some great defense in stretches. He got picked on by Giannis Antetokounmpo, so that wasn’t great, but overall a nice game for him in front of his hometown crowd. 

TWO DOWN

Malcolm Brogdon: He stepped it up late and he finished with 26/4/4 but I thought he was isolating way too much the whole game while most other guys were moving and cutting. He got to the rim, but he was 3-5 in the restricted area and 4-8 in the paint overall. I feel like if they’d gotten a normal Brogdon game, they could have won this in regulation. Brogdon was a -21 in a 6-point loss.

Payton Pritchard: This is a tough matchup that highlights his biggest weakness: his size. The Bucks have too much of it, and no matter how much heart he has, there's nothing he can do against Khris Middleton backing him down or taking him into the paint. He was unplayable at the end. 

TOP PLAYS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATERa

- Something’s up with the Robert Williams situation

Mazzulla was way too short with his answers regarding Williams. I have no idea what is going on, but something is. 

Aside from one really good early stint, I don’t think Williams played all that great when he was in the game. He was a -11 in limited minutes and at first it seemed Mazzuilla was only playing him when Brook Lopez sat. He passed out of what seemed to be a guaranteed dunk at one point. 

That play screams one dribble and dunk, but he passed out of it. 

I can speculate all night about what this was all about, but I’m just grasping at straws. Maybe everyone just needs the All-Star break. 

- No, Grant Williams shouldn’t have shot it on the last play

Here’s how I see it: 

Grant Williams is standing in the corner the whole play with Giannis Antetokounmpo on him. He knows when he catches the ball and turns, Antetokounmpo will be there on him. I don’t know of any basketball player outside of Kevin Durant who would think to catch that ball, turn, and fire. 

I think most players would either hesitate, fake, or try to drive or set up a step-back. Grant’s foot slipped as he tried to make a play, and it all fell apart. 

Grant tried to fall on the sword after the game. 

I’m not buying it. This is on Mazzulla to call the timeout before that happened. Williams being forced to freelance in that spot with Antetokounmpo on him isn’t a good situation for the Celtics, and I don’t blame Williams for it. 

Next Up: The Celtics head into the All-Star break on a back-to-back with Detroit