ANNOUNCEMENT SAD NEWS:Joe Mazzulla announces retirement due to issue…….
Milwaukee Bucks’ Malik Beasley knocks the ball from Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)AP
The Celtics saw their six-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday night in a 104-91 loss to the Bucks at Fiserv Forum. The victory ended a four-game losing streak for the Bucks but the win was overshadowed by All-Star forward Giannis Anteokounmpo suffering a calf injury in the third quarter after posting a strong all-around performance 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Patrick Beverley (team-high 20 points) led a balanced Bucks offensive performance with six players finishing in double figures. Milwaukee’s hot shooting (47 percent from 3) helped them build up a double-digit edge in the first quarter (37-21) that they never relinquished for the final three frames. A shorthanded Boston squad playing without Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) and Al Horford (toe) failed to cut the Bucks lead below 11 points in the second half amid a rough shooting night (39.8 percent).
Jayson Tatum had a game-high 22 points for Boston in the setback while Jaylen Brown finished with a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) on an off shooting night (7-of-19 from the field). The duo played their usual minutes but couldn’t muster up the firepower to keep pace with the Bucks’ hot shooting. Boston also failed to get to the free throw line all night, becoming the first team in NBA history to play a game without a free throw attempt.
The Celtics now head back to Boston to wrap up their season with three straight home games beginning on Thursday night against the Knicks.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ loss Tuesday night:
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Giannis Antetokounmpo suffers calf strain: The goal for the Celtics through this time of year is simply to make it out healthy but the Bucks weren’t so lucky in this matchup. Antetokounmpo went down with a non-contact injury in the closing minutes of the third quarter as he jogged up the floor after an inbounds to Damian Lillard. Antetokunmpo ultimately hobbled back to the Bucks locker room where he was ruled out for the night with a calf strain. Milwaukee still has a week and a half before their playoff run starts for him to heal but they could certainly miss him this week in their battle for the No. 2 seed in the East. The Bucks have a tough schedule remaining (Orlando x 2, Oklahoma City) and could fall all the way down to the 4/5 matchup in the East if they don’t take care of business. Antetokounmpo’s status is worth keeping a close eye on now in the coming weeks as the Bucks loom as a top threat in the East for Boston.
Jaylen Brown has an off night: The All-Star forward has been one of the more consistent Celtics all year long yet put on a dismal performance in this one. He missed eight of his nine shot attempts in the first half including all three from 3-point range to muster just two points before intermission. The putrid output led to the Celtics digging a 20-point hole for themselves at intermission as the visitors shot an ugly 32 percent from the field. Brown showed some signs of life in the second half (12 points) but his team-high five turnovers was representative of an underwhelming offensive performance by Boston all night.
A game without free throws: This was far from a physical affair we would expect from both of these teams in the postseason. Instead, there was minimal contact on both sides that was whistled by officials anyway. There were only five total foul calls in the first half (Boston had 4, Milwaukee had 1) with the Bucks being the only team to attempt free throws during the game (Giannis Antetokounmpo took the pair). The net result was one of the quickest games of the year. It was the first game since the 1963-64 Eason with fewer than five combined free throws made in a game.
Celtics experiment with some small-ball: With Horford and Porzingis sitting out the contest, Joe Mazzulla turned to Xavier Tillman and Luke Kornet for the majority of the team’s minutes at center. However, after the Celtics dug themselves a double digit hole in the first half, Mazzulla went with a dynamic look against Milwaukee to try to jumpstart a comeback, playing Tatum at center. The unique look had some success as Boston outscored the Bucks 24-15 in the third quarter but Milwaukee fought back with a 7-0 run to open up the fourth quarter to help put the game away. With the postseason approaching, this will be a lineup that could be broken up in key moments when Boston doesn’t have one of their top two bigs available.
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