BSJ Game Report: Bucks 135, Celtics 102 - A start-to-finish drubbing

Everything you need to know about the Celtics loss to the Bucks, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The first quarter was rough, with everyone starting out cold and slow while the Bucks hit everything and ran off every Boston miss to take an 18 point lead. It got worse … much, much worse in a 34-15 second quarter. It was so bad, Joe Mazzulla pulled the starters at halftime, starting the third with Payton Pritchard, Svi Mykhailiuk, Lamar Stevens, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet, and rolling with the bench unit to play out the final 24 minutes. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Celtics had nothing: They couldn't hit much of anything, though they had a modicum of success when they were able to get to the rim. They couldn't hit a 3-pointer. They couldn't stop anything Milwaukee was doing. They didn’t rebound. They didn't get any loose balls. They didn’t get any bounces. They had nothing. 

- Schedule loss: I don’t care if it sounds like an excuse. A home/road back-to-back, followed by a tight road game after a day off, followed by an overtime win at home on the front end of another home/road back-to-back is a recipe for a loss in this game. Five games in seven nights is a rough stretch for anyone.  

- Starters sit: This was the most interesting move of the night. Talk about things that wouldn't have happened last season. I feel like last season, Mazzulla might have played these guys into the fourth quarter. 

TURNING POINT

The overtime of the game against Minnesota: The Celtics had too many guys play too many minutes in an effort to win that game. They rolled into Minnesota on an empty tank. I think Damian Lillard’s two early 3-pointers were the first indication that things might not go well for the Celtics. 

To be fair, there was a little bit of fight from Boston early on when they answered the 11-2 start with an 8-2 run. The 12-2 run at the end of the first, and Boston’s six-and-a-half minute scoring drought into the second quarter is where this game really got out of control.

THINGS I LIKED

- Bench run: Hey, the bench won the second half! Okay, joking aside, I’m happy for the guys getting some real run. They work hard for no glory, so a little national TV time is nice. 

- Mazzulla’s decision: I’m not going to be too hard on the guys, but Mazzulla realized that they had nothing and smartly pulled the plug. There's a bit of a message to these guys baked into the decision. Sorry fellas, your averages are just going to have to take the hit for an effort this bad. 

- Challenging a call in the fourth: I loved it. Why would the coach not fight for his second-unit guys the same way he fights for his starters? If I was Lamar Stevens, it’d make me want to fight just as hard for my coach if I got another opportunity. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Everything else: No, I don’t want to be too hard on these guys, but I also don’t want to let them off the hook. Nothing went their way, but for one of very few times this season, they actually took the excuse that was handed to them. It’ll happen, so I’m not worried or anything, but they still could have been better than they were. 

HIGHLIGHTS

THREE TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Silver lining: The bench guys got good run.

Hey, there are two sides to every coin, right? These guys rarely get blown out, so at least they made this one really count. The non-starters got good minutes, and some time against Milwaukee’s first unit. Sam Hauser saw some shots fall and there was a lot of good effort. The more minutes they get, the better it will be for Boston. Just next time, make it so the blowout is going the other way. 

"tI'd rather focus on the second half," Mazzulla said after the game. "Our goal was to win a quarter, we won one in the fourth quarter and I love the intentionality of our second unit ... they played hard they executed. And that to me is what's more important."

- I don’t care that Milwaukee rode their starters longer.

They’ve been struggling lately, so the extra time on the floor was an opportunity to make this a glorified practice. I’m not going to begrudge a team looking to get right taking the opportunity to do so. I’d expect Boston to do the same. 

- I think Joe Mazzulla saw this coming.

Boston went all out to beat Minnesota. It’s almost as if he sacrificed this game to win at home. Maybe I’m retconning this and the games aren’t related, but it sure feels like he saw the potential for a really tough night and went all out for a win that was right there for the taking. 

Next up: The Celtics return home for Ime Udoka’s return on Saturday when Houston visits Boston