The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks allegedly performed a basketball sport on Saturday afternoon, however you’d be forgiven when you mistook it for American soccer as an alternative. Sport 3 of the Jap Convention Semifinals was probably the most bodily basketball video games of your complete NBA season, a miserably ugly slugfest that includes no scarcity of bricked photographs and laborious contact.
In the end, that’s an setting that favored the Bucks, who thrive on physicality and transition scoring. Although the Celtics mounted a livid comeback within the fourth quarter, a possible game-tying tip-in from Al Horford got here simply after the buzzer sounded, and the Celtics misplaced their first street sport of the collection.
Jaylen Brown recorded his second consecutive glorious efficiency, pacing the Celtics with 27 factors and lifting the offense as Jayson Tatum struggled with a 4-of-19 capturing afternoon. Horford tacked on one more postseason turn-back-the-clock efficiency, recording 22 factors, 16 rebounds and 5 assists whereas offering his usually stellar protection within the paint. However the Celtics couldn’t overcome a big efficiency from Giannis Antetokounmpo — 42 factors, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and so they now path within the collection, two video games to at least one.
The Boston offense resembled its Sport 1 self within the early going this afternoon, kicking off the sport capturing an anemic 33% from the sphere within the opening quarter. Issues weren’t significantly better on Milwaukee’s finish, because the Bucks posted a 36% mark of their very own. That’s to say — this was an unsightly sport from the bounce. Neither group discovered something resembling rhythm, and there was seemingly a lid on each baskets, as attractiveness simply didn’t go down. It felt as if the Celtics had been being solidly outplayed, however they entered the second quarter trailing by simply three factors, 22-19.
The ice started to thaw as play resume, no less than a bit. Horford kicked off second quarter scoring together with his second three-pointer of the sport (the one Celtic to attach on any to that time), and the Celtics drew even with the Bucks on the scoreboard, juggling the lead inside one possession for a lot of the quarter.
Halfway by means of the quarter, Tatum had a short harm scare, showing to harm his left wrist after a questionable laborious foul from Antetokounmpo on the rim (upheld as a standard foul on overview), however remaining within the sport and transformed the and-one free throw. Such physicality was the theme of the afternoon, with gamers hitting the ground on seemingly each possession whereas the officers largely swallowed their whistles. Mixed with the continued offensive struggles of each groups, it was probably the most disagreeable halves of basketball of the yr, and the groups lastly, mercifully hit the halftime break with the Celtics main by 4, 50-46.
The second half commenced with a lot the identical tenor as the primary. The Bucks took the driving force’s seat with a 12-4 run within the opening minutes, and the 2 groups continued to impose themselves bodily on each ends of the courtroom. Early within the quarter, Antetokounmpo knocked Robert Williams to the ground with an elbow to the chin on a drive, which was dominated a standard foul that Udoka declined to problem. A couple of possessions later, Antetokounmpo acquired tied up with Grant Williams after a play, however after a short potential altercation, the fallout was merely a standard foul on Williams.
Halfway by means of the quarter, Robert Williams took an elbow to the face from Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis whereas battling for a rebound. Williams went to the ground whereas the Bucks ran in transition, and instantly signaled for the Celtics’ coaching workers. He departed the sport after the play, however fortunately returned to the Boston bench a couple of minutes later and was labeled as out there to return.
By way of precise basketball, the third quarter belonged fully to Milwaukee. Their physicality fully threw the Celtics off-balance — notably Tatum, who shot a really putrid 3-of-17 from the sphere by means of three quarters. The Bucks outscored the Celtics 32-17 within the quarter, and the groups headed to the ultimate body with the Celtics trailing 80-67.
Because the fourth quarter kicked off, it was Boston’s flip. The Celtics lastly discovered some uninterrupted success, led by heady play from Brown, and commenced to chop the Bucks’ lead right down to dimension. Brown linked on a fast left-handed layup to push the Celtics’ run to 12-4, and instantly, the Celtics discovered themselves again inside 5, prompting a Mike Budenholzer timeout with 7:30 remaining in regulation.
The Celtics inched ever nearer as play resumed. Within the subsequent few possessions, Grant Williams pulled off an unbelievable block in opposition to Antetokounmpo on the rim, and Brown accomplished an and-one layup (drawing Antetokounmpo’s fourth foul) to get the Celtics inside 4. Shortly thereafter, Grant Williams picked up his fifth foul after being known as for a cost in opposition to Milwaukee’s Pat Connaughton, which was upheld after a Udoka problem.
The groups went basket-for-basket for the following few possessions because the clock ticked beneath 5 minutes remaining. The Celtics trimmed the lead down to only two factors after a Horford hook shot, after which turned the Bucks over on the following possession and drew a foul in transition to ship Marcus Sensible to the free throw line. He break up the free throws, and the Celtics trailed by a single level with just below 4 minutes to play.
Because the clock ticked beneath two minutes, the Celtics got here all the best way again. Wonderful protection from Horford pressured an Antetokounmpo miss on the rim, and Brown drew a foul on the opposite finish to attach on a pair of free throws and put the Celtics forward 100-99. The protection continued to shine from there, smothering Antetokounmpo once more on the following possession to power a shot clock violation. The Celtics grabbed an offensive rebound on their subsequent possession, however couldn’t come away with factors, and Budenholzer known as a timeout with 50 seconds remining within the sport.
The comeback wasn’t meant to be, nonetheless. Popping out of the timeout, Antetokounmpo linked on a layup to place the Bucks again forward, after which blocked a jumper from Brown on the opposite finish of the ground. Jrue Vacation hit a midrange jumper on the following possession, and instantly the Celtics had been staring down a three-point deficit with 11 seconds to play, 103-100. Sensible tried to attract a foul on a three-point jumper, nevertheless it was dominated a rip-through foul, awarding two free throws as an alternative of three. He missed the second try on objective, and Horford appeared to tip within the game-tying layup, however the try was after the buzzer and the sport was over.
Subsequent up, we received’t have to attend fairly so lengthy for the collection to proceed. The Celtics will take the courtroom this Monday for Sport 4 in Milwaukee at 7:30 PM EST on TNT.
For extra postgame protection of Boston’s thrilling Sport 1 win, tune into the Garden Report Postgame Show LIVE on CLNS Media proper after the sport. Be part of A Sherrod Blakely, Bobby Manning, Josue Pavon, Jimmy Toscano and host John Zannis for a full breakdown.
