BSJ Game Report: Celtics 113, Bucks 107 - Tatum's big second half pushes C's past Milwaukee

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

IN A NUTSHELL

Boston fell behind 16-2 … again … and Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 19 in the first to fuel a 10-point Bucks lead. Payton Pritchard went off in the second quarter to keep Boston close, which was key because the defense showed up after halftime. Boston’s 29-15 third quarter gave them the lead, which they held through much of the fourth quarter. Some big-time plays from Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum free throws sealed the deal.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Surviving a slow start: They fell behind 16-2 for the second straight game, but they were +3 after that heading into halftime. They found a way (Pritchard) to keep things close until everyone woke up. Once they got everyone playing both ends of the floor, they outscored the Bucks 55-38 in the second half. 

- Defense (and water finding its level): The Celtics went in the half with no steals or blocks, but finished the game with five steals and two blocks. The Bucks cooperated by missing a ton of shots they made in the first. The result was Milwaukee going 14-38 from the field and 3-15 from 3 after halftime. 

- Tatum wakes up: He had 23 second-half points, 12 in the fourth quarter, going 10-11 from the line. He also had seven rebounds and four assists, giving the C’s the boost they needed after the half. He almost didn’t make it the rest of the game because he rolled an ankle on what should have been a flagrant landing spot foul. He ended up being ok. 

TURNING POINT 

With about five minutes to play and Boston up one, Tatum had Damian Lillard posted up and Lillard tried to flop and draw the foul. Tatum missed the wide-open jumper after the no-call, but Derrick White grabbed the offensive rebound and got it back to Tatum for an in-rhythm 3-pointer. It capped a quick 6-0 run to give Boston the lead for good. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Jayson Tatum (in the second half, mostly): What I liked most is that he kept his composure after the missed landing spot foul and didn't let it ruin his night. Instead, He went on to score 19 points, grab six rebounds, and dish two more assists. 

“He didn't let it impact the rest of the game at either end of the floor,” Joe Mazzulla said. “Credit to him for handling it the right way.”

- Payton Pritchard: He scored 12 of his points in the second quarter, which goes down as a clutch performance to me because the Celtics could have been down 30 at the half instead of 11. 

- Derrick White: You know why. 

- Jrue Holiday: He slammed the door on the Bucks on both ends. Holiday cashed in a couple of free throws to push the game to five with 1:35 to go, then got a steal on the next Bucks possession, and then he grabbed an offensive rebound to extend Boston’s ensuing possession. They didn’t score, but Milwaukee didn’t get a shot attempted until more than a minute after Holiday’s free throws. By then they were essentially out of time. 

White and Holiday had similar stat lines … again … combining for 30 points on 11-23 shooting (6-14 3pt), eight rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and a block. 

- Jaylen Brown’s defense: He did a good job on Lillard. Dame finished with only 14 points on 4-15 shots and he only got two shot attempts in the fourth quarter. Lillard scoring zero points in the fourth quarter of a close game is a hell of an accomplishment. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Jaylen Brown’s offense: I’m not going to get worked up over this, but he had a rough shooting night. He finished with 14 points on 4-13 shooting (1-5 3pt). He did have a couple of strong finishes in the second half, though. 

- Sam Hauser’s shooting: The slump continues with a 1-5 night. Hauser goes through these stretches from time to time. I had hoped he would be able to find a little more consistency this season, but right now he’s still a bit hot and cold. We all know he’ll get hot again.

- The start: Some of this was definitely because the Bucks came out shooting incredibly, but the Celtics once again looked like they weren’t fully there. They're like someone who wakes up two minutes before a Zoom meeting. I would like to see them get back to some strong starts. 

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- The missed landing spot call is an egregious officiating offense.

Natalie Sago was standing right there, staring at the play. But she was looking at the release and not at the landing spot, so she missed it. 

That is not only a mistake, that's one of the biggest mistakes an official can make. The landing spot foul can be a flagrant for a very important reason, and we almost saw it happen in this game. 

“That’s something I could have been out for six weeks or whatever,” Tatum told reporters after the game. “For me that shit is frustrating when all you get is a ‘sorry, I missed it.’”

I get that, at that point, that's all the ref can really say. But it’s one of the most basic calls in the game, and it happened right in front of the ref.

“That’s ridiculous. Can’t miss that,” Mazzulla said. “They knew that they missed it.” 

Remember when the refs tweeted out a statement after missing Tatum fouling LeBron James in Boston? 

“This play will weigh heavily and cause sleepless nights as we strive to be the best referees we can be.”

I wonder what they’ll tweet after this one? I won’t be losing sleep waiting for it. 

- The Giannis/Jaylen stuff could be fun moving forward. 

Before Antetokounmpo slid under Tatum’s feet, he delivered an elbow to Brown’s head while spinning in the lane. 

He was called for an offensive foul and Brown was fine. But then he did this: 

“Giannis is a child,” Brown said afterwards. “I’m just focused on helping my team win, and that's what we did tonight.” 

Antetokounmpo’s response: 

Brown caught Giannis with a flagrant foul later in the game, so there's something brewing here. They play again in Boston on December 6, so let’s just keep an eye on these two next month. 

Next up: The Celtics host Atlanta Tuesday night at 7 in their first Emirates Cup game