Everything you need to know about the Celtics loss to the Bucks, with BSJ insight and analysis
IN A NUTSHELL
The Bucks came out blistering hot from 3, building a 19-point lead against a cold and less-than-engaged Boston team. The Celtics made runs, but Milwaukee had answers as they took a 20-point lead into the half. Jayson Tatum erupted for 13 points in the third to cut the lead to 11. The Celtics kept their starters in to start the fourth, and they made a little push, but they never seriously threatened to win.
HEADLINES
- Giannis Antetokounmpo injury: This is the biggest story to come out of this game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a left calf strain, Bucks say. pic.twitter.com/7Dwjq7Sjsl
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) April 10, 2024
The Bucks are calling this a left soleus strain, which is a muscle running down the side of the calf. That's scary because calf strains and Achilles tendon injuries can be confused or related. For Antetokounpo to just go straight down like he did without any contact is scary on its own. If he’s out for an extended period of time, that could change the future of the East playoffs.
- No free throws: The Celtics set an NBA record by taking zero free throws all game. There was only one shooting foul called against the Bucks in this game, but it was challenged and overturned. Boston took 20 shots at the rim, which isn’t a ton, but it’s enough to result in some kind of contact.
- No offensive punch: The Celtics are so rarely held below 100 points that the number almost looks wrong. It's just the third time it's happened this season.
TURNING POINT
I feel like getting Boston down 37-19 in the first was enough of a turning point. The Celtics made a couple of runs and got it to a couple of “hey, they're within striking distance” points, but they never made it a game.
THINGS I LIKED
- Boston got out unscathed: First and foremost, they got out of this injury-free. That's the most important thing.
- Luke Kornet hit a 3: It was his first attempt all season, so he’s probably going to finish the year shooting 100% from 3. Also, it was his first attempt since Game 3 of last year’s ECF, when hit the only one he took. So he’s hit his last two 3-pointers. He’s on a roll.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE
- Poor shooting: The Celtics got some good looks but they couldn't get them to fall. Meanwhile, the Bucks couldn't miss. Aside from half-assing it, this is always a recipe for disaster.
- The officiating: I’ll get more into this later, but I’m irrationally bothered by just two free throws being attempted in this game.
- Patrick Beverley's celebrations: Everything about this guy rubs me the wrong way.
TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
- It is what it is.
A friend of mine texted me from a Denver bar where one lone Celtics fan was livid at the loss. I'm assuming he had money on the game, because there's no way anyone should be caring that much about these results.
I’m watching to see the few things here or there that Joe Mazzulla is trying to accomplish in these games, but even those are tough when it’s clear these guys aren’t fully invested. Mazzulla said after the game that he kept his guys in late because he wanted them to try to execute in a situation where the game wasn’t going their way.
And that's 100% correct. That was a great time to see if they could turn it on. But when the reason they were down in the first place is because that exact group of guys just didn’t really care to be there, it’s hard for them to start caring out of nowhere.
Even after the game, Mazzulla’s press conference was full of short answers, non-answers, and brush-offs because he couldn't publicly say “none of this mattered, we didn’t care, just be happy we’re going home healthy.”
Tatum and Jaylen Brown played normal minutes, mostly for cardio reasons. They might do that once more just to keep their wind as best they can for the playoffs. Other than that, just three more games to go before real basketball returns again.
- We need answers about the officiating in this game
Boston took zero free throws, Milwaukee took two. No one shot a free throw in the second half.
You cannot tell me that this game was so cleanly played that there was only one shooting foul. That's absolute crap.
And let me be clear, I don’t care about the free throws as they pertain to the result of this game. But free throws are the result of success or failure, and teams need to get that feedback. A player needs to get feedback about whether what he did was successful or not.
It just felt like the refs wanted to get the hell out of there as much as Boston did, so no one is going to complain. I know we won’t get any answers about it, but I think it’s a bigger issue.
Next up: Boston comes home to close out the season, starting with a game against New York on Thursday