The Celtics weren’t at full strength after the trade deadline, but that didn’t stop Boston from playing with energy and intensity, outplaying the Milwaukee Bucks in a 122-114 win on Friday at the Fiserv Forum.
The Celtics dominated the game, only briefly giving up the lead to the Bucks. Boston pulled away in the third quarter as the 3-pointers kept going in.
It was a balanced scoring effort for Celtics coach Brad Stevens’ squad, led by Jayson Tatum who had 34 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Marcus Smart (23 points), Kemba Walker (21 points, five assists) and Jaylen Brown (18 points, five rebounds) rounded out the production. The last member of the starting lineup, Robert Williams III, impressed in his first start of the season.
It was an important win for the Celtics, who improved to 22-23 and snapped Milwaukee’s eight-game winning streak.
Boston finishes its five-games-in-seven-days stretch, finally, by going through one last back-to-back. The Celtics travel to face Oklahoma City at 9 p.m. Saturday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Here are four takeaways from Boston’s blowout win over Milwaukee:
Robert Williams III gets the start: With Daniel Theis gone and Tristan Thompson out due to health and safety protocols, Stevens’ natural next option was Williams, who made his first start of the season. Williams was on the court for 27 minutes, playing some of the best defensive basketball of his career. And just as Stevens said before the game, Williams can stuff the stat sheet. Williams finished with seven points, nine rebounds, six assists and five blocks — impacting the game in almost every way imaginable. The 23-year-old just keeps showing why he’s part of the Celtics’ building blocks as he solidifies his case for center of the future.
The 3-pointers kept falling: When the Celtics were running away with the game in the third quarter, it was off the efforts of its long-range shooting. Boston seemingly couldn’t miss in the third, going 9-for-14 from behind the arc. The Bucks had few answers as the Celtics built their lead. Boston finished 22-for-47 on 3-pointers Friday as the outside shooting keeps looking potent (the franchise record is 24 made 3-pointers).
Energy shines as the Celtics turned up their energy: Perhaps it was a continuation of Wednesday’s late turnaround or the Celtics wanted to make a statement after the trade deadline. But Boston played at a noticeable pace that looked comfortable yet feisty. Guys were in the passing lanes as the Bucks finished with 16 turnovers. The defense stood up to Milwaukee’s offense, which ranks as one of the best in the nation. The Bucks made plenty of 3-pointers, but they only shot 25-for-52 (48.1%) on two-pointers. Back-to-back NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had back-to-back slow games against the Celtics, too, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds Friday.
Early Tacko minutes, new faces: The Celtics were still acclimating their new pieces, which is why Stevens rolled with Tacko Fall as the backup center when Williams needed a breather early. Fall stood out at his 7-foot-5 frame, but he showed he’s still a bit green to be playing consistent minutes. Late in the game, Stevens even got newly-acquired Moritz Wagner into the game. Wagner played 10 minutes and had three points and five rebounds in his C’s debut.
