Photo via Twitter / Bucks
Jrue Holiday and George Hill
There was a feeling of confidence around Deer District going into Monday night’s matchup with the Boston Celtics. After a thrilling third game of the Eastern Conference semifinals that took things to the wire, the Milwaukee Bucks were in the driver’s seat with a game at home, and the opportunity to go up three games to one. Things were going to be tight once again, but Milwaukee ultimately fell to the Celtics, 116-108.
Milwaukee spent much of game three in foul trouble, and were looking to avoid a repeat performance on Monday night. That became clear when the Bucks would push into the paint, and then pass the ball back out to the perimeter for a deeper shot instead of creating a 50-50 chance of the officials calling a block or charging foul. Giannis Antetokounmpo passed up several opportunities to take the ball to the basket, and at times, it would look like the smart move, with Milwaukee finding the open man for a three-pointer. To their credit, the Celtics would jam up the paint to stop the Greek Freak on several occasions, but Milwaukee’s array of outside shooters would keep the offensive options open. Converting on those opportunities, however, was a different story.
The Celtics will certainly be leaving Milwaukee a little worse for wear, with Jason Tatum, Grant Williams and Marcus Smart all visibly dealing with the repercussions of a physical series with the Bucks. They were able to endure taking some literal body blows, and would go into halftime with a four point lead. The Bucks had as high as a 10 point lead in the first quarter, but that would slowly dwindle with each of their seven turnovers. Neither team really seemed to be able to sustain a breakout offensive run, though Milwaukee would once again extend the lead to double digits early in the second half.
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Playoff basketball often feels like a race to the final buzzer, and that was exactly the case on Monday. Whether it was an increase of Boston’s defensive pressure, or unforced errors on Milwaukee’s half, more often than not, the ball would land in a Celtics player’s hands rather than the bottom of the net down the stretch. Boston would capitalize on those mistakes when it mattered most, including big outside shots from Tatum and Smart to create the final separation late in the fourth quarter. The Bucks were never truly out of it, but lapses with two double-digit leads won’t necessarily boost team morale as the series returns to TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday night.
After the game, Bobby Portis remained on the floor to work on his jump shot. He went just 2-7 from the field on Monday, and his lack of production was certainly just one of many factors in the loss. Brook Lopez and Wesley Matthews looked strong for Milwaukee, but the Bucks couldn’t find ways to utilize them fully before Boston’s defense figured the gameplan out. Giannis Antetokounmpo racked up 34 points for Milwaukee, with more than half of those coming in just the third quarter, extending Milwaukee’s second lead. Jrue Holiday finished Monday’s contest with an abysmal -23 in the plus/minus rating, meaning Boston capitalized on offense when he was on the floor. Despite all of these factors, things remained fairly close until the final Celtics push. Milwaukee now has to win at least one more game in Boston, where their only win of the season occurred in game one of this series.
One of the first warm days made for a lively Deer District, with thousands of fans finally being able to utilize the plaza watch party. They’ll be able to do so again on Wednesday night, when a pivotal game five of the Eastern Conference semifinals tips off at 6 p.m. Central, with national coverage on TNT.
The Bucks cannot win “in six” without losing two games, and they’ve done just that. Let’s hope that the mantra stays alive in what is sure to be a tough pair of games ahead.
