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Marcus Smart on Celtics' Game 5 Collapse vs. Bucks: 'We Did This to Ourselves'
May 12, 2022
After the Boston Celtics blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead in Wednesday's Game 5 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, point guard Marcus Smart admitted that the team was unhappy with its performance.
"We were hot, we're hot, just because we know we did it to ourselves. Nobody else. You take the blame," Smart told reporters. "But now, that's it, we got to turn around and go right back at it. We don't got time to sulk, don't got time to put our heads down. It is what it is. On to the next one."
Smart was the subject of some stout defense by Milwaukee guard Jrue Holiday in the game's closing moments. Holiday blocked Smart's layup and threw the ball off him as he went out of bounds. On Boston's final possession, Holiday stole the ball as Smart tried to rush up the court to attempt a game-tying shot.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 40 points and 11 rebounds to lead Milwaukee to a 110-107 win. Holiday finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Milwaukee forward Bobby Portis also came up big with 14 points and 15 rebounds. He had a key put-back off a missed free throw by Antetokounmpo with 15 seconds left in the game to give the Bucks their first lead since the second quarter. Pat Connaughton hit a pair of free throws with six seconds left for the three-point advantage.
Jayson Tatum scored 34 points to lead the Celtics, while Jaylen Brown added 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Smart finished with 15 points, four rebounds and two steals.
The Celtics will have the daunting task of staving off elimination against the defending champions in Friday's Game 6 in Milwaukee.