Final: Celtics 122, Bucks 113 (OT) - Schroder bails out sloppy Celtics

Game 12: Boston Celtics (5-6) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (6-6)
TD Garden
7:30 PM - NBC Sports Boston, ESPN

PROBABLE STARTERS

BOSTON: Dennis Schroder, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams, Al Horford

MILWAUKEE: Jrue Holiday, George Hill, Bobby Portis, Grayson Allen, Giannis Antetokounmpo

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

- Jaylen Brown is out for Boston as he continues to work back from his right hamstring strain. 

“He'll travel with us on the road trip but the timeline is the same, week or two," Ime Udoka said before the game. “He's feeling okay. ... We won't know until he pushes it a little bit more. Like I said, he's coming on the road trip to get treatment and be around the guys, but also have those hands on him instead of staying back here."

That's not exactly a hard no on whether he’ll come back in either Cleveland or Atlanta, so it’s something to watch for.

- Donte DiVincenzo (ankle), Brook Lopez (back), and Khris Middleton (COVID) are out for Milwaukee.

- Milwaukee has won two games in a row. They are 3-2 vs. below .500 teams.

- Boston is favored by 4

GOING A LITTLE DEEPER

- Robert Williams, defensive anchor

Rob has had the biggest adjustment from last season to this one. He’s had to play alongside Al Horford in double-big lineups and he’s had to do a lot of switching early on. 

However, as time has gone on this season and Ime Udoka has implemented more defensive wrinkles, he has been able to settle back into a little more of a comfort zone. 

“He’s good, he’s growing already,” Udoka said. “Want him to be more vocal still. He’s got that deep southern voice, so I’m always joking with him that he should say it with his chest and speak up a little bit.”

Williams is definitely a bit soft spoken which, when mixed with his Louisiana drawl, can be on the tougher side to understand. Maybe he can benefit from some theater classes on projecting one’s voice. 

That it’s this level of detail that is part of his development says a lot about how far he’s come. It wasn’t all that long about that basic fundamentals were the main issue with him; how he turned his hips to chase instead of sliding his feet, biting on pump fakes, and not leaving his guy to chase blocks. 

Now it’s about nuance. 

“We want him to be the anchor back there,” Udoka said. “We’re asking him to switch at times, but also be back there and hold things down. He’s grown in the last month or so, and we need him to continue to take those steps as a rim protector and also switch, because we’re asking a lot of him.”

Among what Boston is asking him to do is basically play twice as many minutes as he’s been used to on a regular basis. 

“His conditioning has been better, and career-high minutes he’s blown out of the water at plus-30,” Udoka said. “Staying healthy, playing longer stretches where we’re relying on him. I told him at the start of the year, we need you out there longer. We’re not trying to have Al run longer and have you come out early. He’s taken that to heart, he’s taking care of himself, worked hard and come in in great shape as well.”

So far, it seems like Boston’s big commitment to him is paying off. He’s evolving his game a bit, and maybe he’s contributing a bit differently than we thought, but he’s certainly making a big impact in a lot of ways.

“He's come a long way,” Jayson Tatum said. “Hopefully he has a long way to go. But I think the sky is the limit for Rob and his potential and what he can do.”

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1. Guarding Giannis...  : Without Lopez and Middleton, a lot will fall on Antetokounmpo to carry the load -- which he is obviously capable of doing. 

“You have to show bodies,” Udoka said of guarding the two-time MVP. “Al’s also done a real good job on him in the past when we had him in Philly. You have show bodies - that’s the first thing. There’s kind of an optimal pick-up point to bait him into shots, but also be there so he doesn’t walk into them.”

Antetokounmpo is expanding his game, and slowly working his jumper up to a respectable level. If the Celtics back too far off, he’ll drill them. 

“If he’s hitting it he’s almost impossible to guard because of that,” Udolka said. “He’s not as bad a shooter as some people think. If you’re that far off of it he’ll shoot 36, 37 percent and just walk into it unguarded. We want to mess with him a little bit, be at the right spot, show that crowd and bait him into shots, moreso than letting him get downhill all game.”

2. ... without forgetting about the rest of the Bucks: If the Celtics lose their focus and overhelp on Giannis drives, he’ll kick it out and find his shooters in the corner. He’s quite adept at hitting guys right in their shooting pockets, and guys like Grayson Allen, George Hill, and Jrue Holiday will gladly bury you with a quick 9-0 run. 

3. Tatum building on his progress: Tatum is on a little bit of a roll as far as the style of his play. Yes, he's still cold from the field, but he's gone through cold stretches before. The Bucks defense, even without Middleton, will be a challenge. Tatum needs to continue being aggressive and not settle.  

GAME THREAD

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