Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum Power Celtics' Comeback Win vs. Giannis, Bucks
The Boston Celtics overcame a 19-point deficit to win their third straight game after defeating the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 116-105 on Wednesday at TD Garden.
Boston trailed 34-19 after one quarter and fell behind by 19 in the second. The Bucks still led by 15 points in the third, but the Celtics rolled off a 24-4 run into the fourth quarter and never looked back.
Boston's starting lineup, which scored all but eight of the team's points, helped the C's outscore Milwaukee by 27 in the second half.
The Bucks-Celtics game was the first matchup between the two teams since Milwaukee beat Boston 4-1 in last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Celtics improved to 3-1, and the Bucks fell to 2-2.
Notable Performances
Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo: 22 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists
Bucks G/F Khris Middleton: 26 points, 6 rebounds
Celtics G Kemba Walker: 32 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds
Celtics F Jayson Tatum: 25 points, 4 rebounds
Celtics F Gordon Hayward: 21 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists
Celtics' Big Three Leads Winning Effort
The Celtics of one decade ago featured a Big Three (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen) that was arguably a Big Four if you add point guard Rajon Rondo.
This year's C's team looks like it also has a Big Four in Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown, but Boston was forced to go without Brown because of illness.
The C's could have used him during a first half where the offense sputtered en route to a 19-point first quarter, but the rest of the Celtics' stars shined on a night where Pierce cheered from the TD Garden sidelines.
Tatum's performance may have been the most impressive. He started the game just 2-of-10 from the field but wasn't deterred by his cold shooting, finishing with 25 points on a 10-of-22 clip.
That included a momentum-changing duo of three-pointers to end the third quarter, turning a 76-74 Bucks edge into a 80-76 Celtics lead.
He also threw down this hammer that sent the Celtics fans into a frenzy:
Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer provided a notable Tatum comment:
Hayward looks like the All-Star who led the Utah Jazz prior to signing with the Celtics. The forward suffered a broken leg in 2017-18 that ended his season after five minutes, and he shook off the rust while working through struggles last year.
But his remarkable comeback looks complete after posting one of his best games as a Celtic:
This slice through the lane put the C's up seven in the fourth:
And then there's Walker, the Celtics' new floor general who looks right at home after eight years with the Charlotte Hornets. He dropped a game-high 32 points, including 13 in the fourth, to pace the C's.
Back-to-back Walker threes gave Boston a 104-92 advantage with 3:37 left. The Bucks made a free throw before Walker delivered the final blow with this crossover and bucket:
Marcus Smart also pitched in 19 points, helping lead a balanced Boston scoring attack.
Adam Kaufman of WBZ NewsRadio summed up the night well:
Boston will soon be tested thanks to a five-game Western Conference road trip and a date with the undefeated San Antonio Spurs, but right now, the new-look Celtics get high marks for their 3-1 start.
Bucks' Defense Falters in Second Loss
The Bucks' league-best 60-22 mark came to be in large part because of a defensive effort that ESPN ranked first in the league in efficiency.
Granted, Milwaukee's season is only four games old, but that defense has taken a significant dip in 2019-20.
The Bucks ranked 14th in that stat entering Wednesday, and that mark figures to drop into the bottom half of the league following a night where they allowed 74 second-half points.
Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports provided some reasoning for the offensive explosion:
Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called the Bucks' third-quarter defense "shaky," and Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweeted that it "stalled out."
Whatever phrasing you want to use, the Bucks couldn't get it done on the defensive end for the second time in four games, leading to a large second-half lead slipping away. The first time that occurred was against the Miami Heat, who trailed by 21 to Milwaukee but ended up winning in overtime.
In fairness, the Bucks ran into the wrong end of variance in some aspects. Smart, a 31 percent lifetime three-point shooter, went 5-of-11 from long range Wednesday. The C's were also money from the free-throw line (17-of-21 led by Walker's 14-of-15).
But the Bucks ultimately faltered on a night where any Buck not named Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and George Hill went just 15-of-45 from the field. The defense could have compensated for the sluggish shooting, but the Celtics offense was too much for the Bucks to handle.
The season is only four games old, though, and Milwaukee has plenty of time to figure it out before the playoffs.
What's Next?
The Celtics will host the New York Knicks on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Bucks will finish their two-game road trip against the Orlando Magic on Friday at 7 p.m.
