Boston —The Boston Celtics got the gift they wanted this Christmas. Their once unstoppable attack, which has disappeared in the last few weeks, is finally back. Led by Jayson Tatum’s 41 points and Jaylen Brown’s 29 points, the Celtics ran away from the Bucks in the second half to win 139-118.
Tatum helped the Celtics take control of the game with a fantastic 20-point frame in the third quarter. With no answer to his string of jumpers and drives, the Bucks made up with his 10 trips to his line free throws. Tatum, who scored 30 points in five straight games and shot 14-of-22 from the field, also had seven rebounds and five assists.
The Celtics also caught fire from downtown. This is something I haven’t been able to do for the better part of the last two weeks. They made his eight 3s in the first quarter alone, including a heave at the buzzer by Sam Houser, finishing 19 of 39 from behind the arc. This is his 10th time this season that he has made at least 19 3s in one game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 27 points and nine rebounds, but it was a tough game for the two-time MVP. Just like they did in the playoffs, the Celtics worked him on every point and held him to 9 out of 22 out of the field.
The key points of this game are:
1. Tatum shines again
Midway through the second quarter, Jayson Tatum threw a great pass to Marcus Smart in the corner and seemed to free his teammate for a wide-open 3-pointer. But Smart wasn’t selfish and gave it back to Tatum in a give and go. Tatum was careful not to waste an extra pass and threw a huge one-handed slam into Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“The play was just attacking the rim,” Tatum said. “The Bucks are a big, physical team. If you go there and try to defend it, you’ll probably get blocked, especially him.”
This was nothing new, as he hit that road last season in Game 3 of the team’s semifinal playoff series. On the contrary, it was a reminder of Tatum’s willingness and ability to face the league’s elite players, his 41 points against Antetokounmpo against other players in the top 10 of the NBA’s official MVP ladder. It is his fifth time he has scored 30 or more points. He also has two other he has 25 points out against such players. In these matches, he has faced the likes of Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Jay Morant and has averaged 34.2 points.
“It’s fun,” Tatum said. “It’s fun to play on national TV, it’s fun to play at Christmas. It’s fun to play against them. You get to play against other great players and raise your level of play. The competition is exciting but it’s exciting.” , that’s the game you live in.” “In that moment, match-up. If you can’t get up in those games, you’re probably in the wrong profession. Among them, competing on a stage like this is a lot of fun.”
2. Another hard night for Giannis
Giannis Antetokounmpo put up some monster numbers, including three 40-point outs, when the two teams met in the playoffs last season. But while he averaged 33.9 points, 14.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists in those seven games, he needed 28 shots per game to get there and was completely exhausted in the process. was doing.
Sunday’s meeting looked like Game 8 of that series as the Celtics’ length, physicality and depth of defenders frustrated the two-time MVP. Again, his final numbers were strong: 27 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. However, he played 9 of his 22 games off the field, with only his two shots in the paint. The Celtics game his plans and defensive prowess once again proved successful.
“He’s a talented player and one of the best in the league,” said Grant Williams. Make sure you’re on target and make sure the shots he takes aren’t easy.
Williams, who helped the Celtics to a Game 7 victory in the playoffs last season, is one of the main options against the Greek freaks. He again played a key role in the Celtics’ victory.
“For me, it’s just to stay in front of him and force him to take tough shots with the physicality he brings,” Williams said. “He made a lot of tough fadeaways against me today. Those are the things you have to live with. Just nod and keep it going. Other than that, with natural physical prowess.” I try my best to play..He never stops.He is relentless and so are we.
3. Celtics’ offense returns to 3-point shooting
The Celtics’ offense over the first six weeks of the season has always been difficult to maintain. The Celtics had the worst offense in the league with his lousy 1-5 run, and he shot 28.6% on his 3-pointers on open and wide opens.
As if their Christmas wish came true, the Celtics offense reappeared on Sunday. In the first he scored 3 on 5 of his 7 goals and in the first quarter alone he knocked down 8 triples. This also included Sam Hauser’s his 37-foot heave at the buzzer. Despite a mid-game cold stretch, they finished 19 of his 39 out of downtown, with seven different players scoring at least one of his threes.
It was the second time this month that he made at least 19 3-pointers, and the 10th time this season. No other team has played as many games, only the Golden State Warriors (9), Dallas Mavericks (6), Indiana Pacers (6) and Utah Jazz (5) have his five Achieved.
Overall, the Celtics scored 139 points on a 58.8% field goal percentage. This was the second highest total of the season. Interim head coach Joe Mazura credited their pace as to why they were able to have so much success in scoring the ball.
“I thought we were being disciplined in our game plan and execution,” Mazura said. “We sprinted in space. I thought we had a lot of good offense in the first six to eight seconds of the shot clock. I thought we were able to get layups early on. It’s when you’re in the window that creates an advantage for the first six to eight seconds, whether it’s a quick action or a quick action.”
4. Don’t get stuck in a rut
Celtics Basketball Operations President Brad Stevens spoke on Shootaround He said Friday before his team’s victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The team has done just that. First, in a hard-fought, gritty win over the Timberwolves, they didn’t shoot the ball very well, but they figured things out in the fourth quarter. Well, for Christmas, a statement win against the team with his second-best record in the league. The Celtics are back in the lead with his 24-10 record, the first win streak since December 5 and his 7th. A chance to start putting together a streak.
Did the Christmas marquee matchup between the East and rivals for the top league spot bring the Celtics back to life? “Of course,” Al Horford said. “He’s one of the top teams in our league. It’s a team.”
The key now is to maintain this type of play, as the Celtics did early in the season.
