Friday’s Sport 6 supplied the defending NBA champions an opportunity to shut out their second-round collection in entrance of their crowd. It additionally prolonged the Celtics one other alternative to point out their character and for Jayson Tatum, specifically, to ship a efficiency that can get etched into his legacy.
Whereas Antetokounmpo did every part in his energy to get the Bucks to the convention finals, scoring 44 factors, grabbing 20 rebounds, and distributing six assists, it was the latter who capitalized on Friday’s alternative.
Now, for a deep dive into how the Celtics met the second, forcing a Sport 7 in Boston.
Celtics Make Their Threes, However Antetokounmpo Scores 17 in First Body
Jaylen Brown opened the scoring by draining a 3 from above the break after a pair of jab steps.
Marcus Good then prolonged the Celtics’ result in 6-2, flattening a 3 from the suitable wing.
After that, Jayson Tatum tried to power a bounce go from the highest of the important thing to Brown, however Jrue Vacation stepped in entrance of it, simply getting the steal. That led to Giannis Antetokounmpo plowing to the rim for his second journey to the free-throw line. He once more made each to make it a 6-4 recreation.
However on the Bucks’ subsequent possession, Antetokounmpo tried to barrel his technique to the basket, solely to get known as for a cost as Grant Williams stood his floor deep within the paint. If the decision went towards Williams, it will’ve been his second foul, simply over two minutes into the sport.
After two extra Antetokounmpo free throws introduced the rating to 9-6, Good buried one other three to increase Boston’s result in 12-6. Tatum then related on his second shot from past the arc to push the customer’s benefit to 9.
Antetokounmpo countered with a mid-range pull-up jumper. And on the different finish, Williams acquired known as for an unlawful display screen, his second private foul.
With 6:24 left to play within the interval, after Brown misplaced the ball, an unforced live-ball turnover, Antetokounmpo pressured his manner via a spot between Good and Al Horford. Maybe eager to keep away from a foul, neither utilized a lot resistance, and the previous league MVP generated two extra factors close to the rim. That pulled Milwaukee inside one, 15-14.
That prompted Ime Udoka to take a timeout. Out of the break, Derrick White acquired downhill for 2 factors on the basket, however Antetokounmpo answered with a 3, and Vacation matched it to offer the Bucks a 20-17 lead, their first within the recreation.
On the 4:52 mark, Good hit a well timed three that quickly quieted the group and introduced Boston inside two, 22-20.
After Brown’s second live-ball turnover, Brook Lopez capitalized on a mismatch towards the a lot shorter White, taking pictures over him for 2 factors from 8-feet out. That gave the hosts a 24-20 benefit with 3:08 on the clock.
After one other Udoka timeout, Good knocked down a 3 from the left nook after a pleasant go from Horford. Good then acquired a side-step layup, giving Boston one other lead, 25-24.
With 44.8 seconds left, Tatum hit one other three, bringing to him 3/3 from past the arc, and it gave the Celtics a 28-26 benefit. That remained the rating when the quarter got here to a detailed.
In a constructive observe, Boston was 8/15 (53.3 p.c) from three. However the Celtics additionally dedicated 4 turnovers, three of the live-ball selection, resulting in eight factors for Milwaukee. They can not make this recreation any tougher on themselves than it already is.
And whereas Good had a team-high 14 factors and Tatum produced 9, Antetokounmpo scored 17 within the first body, together with going 6/6 on the free-throw line.
Celtics Take Care of the Ball, Lower Down on Fouls, and Take a 10-Level Lead into Halftime
Firstly of the second quarter, Antetokounmpo fouled Brown whereas the 2 pursued a unfastened ball. Antetokounmpo acquired inadvertently hit within the face by Brown within the course of, however he laid on the court docket lengthy sufficient to earn a delay of recreation violation.
Tatum then spun to the cup for 2 factors on the rim, extending Boston’s result in 30-26.
A number of possessions later, Tatum drilled a 3 from above the break. That made it a 35-30 recreation.
After that, Tatum got here off a display screen from Williams and shortly skipped the ball from the suitable elbow to Brown within the left nook. Brown drilled a 3, and the Celtics took a 38-30 lead.
At that time, The Celtics had assisted on 10/14 subject objectives and had been taking pictures 10/17 (58.8 p.c) from past the arc.
On the 8:32 mark, Tatum acquired downhill and hit a swooping layup to place Boston forward by ten.
With 7:25 remaining, after the Bucks practically turned it over, Connaughton retrieved the ball, discovered an open Vacation, and Vacation swished a 3 from the left-wing.
Tatum then missed a layup, and as he expressed frustration in regards to the lack of a foul name, Milwaukee took off in the direction of the opposite finish, the place Antetokounmpo soared over Good for 2 factors plus one other journey to the road. It was a blocking name the Celtics determined to problem.
Sadly for Boston, the ruling didn’t get overturned. Had it been, that might’ve been Antetokounmpo’s third foul. Final yr’s Finals MVP then missed the following free throw.
Tatum responded, going again to the spin transfer to get to the basket, the place he made the layup and acquired fouled, however he could not flip it right into a three-point play. It was additionally the Celtics’ first free throw of the sport.
Antetokounmpo got here again with a monster jam, to the house crowd’s delight. That trimmed Milwaukee’s deficit to 42-37. Vacation then went again door for a layup to make it 42-39.
With 2:58 left, White swished an open three to increase Boston’s result in 45-39.
With 1:09 to go, White caught an inbounds go on the prime of the important thing, attacked Bobby Portis off the dribble, and acquired a tricky two to offer the Celtics a 49-41 benefit.
With 27.1 seconds remaining, Good pushed the tempo off a Wesley Matthews layup, attending to the basket, the place he made a contested layup to make it a 51-43 recreation.
White then drew a cost on Antetokounmpo, the latter’s third foul, sending him to the bench for the remainder of the quarter. He adopted that by incomes a visit to the charity stripe, the place he went 2/2, giving Boston a 53-43 lead it took into halftime.
On the break, the Celtics had been 11/25 (44 p.c) on threes, assisted on 12/19 subject objectives, and produced 16 factors within the paint. In addition they solely dedicated two turnovers within the second after coughing the ball up 4 occasions within the first. They usually lower down on fouls within the second body.
Tatum led Boston with 18 factors, to go together with 5 rebounds and three assists. Good had 16, and White contributed 9 off the bench.
Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 21 factors however solely had 4 within the second quarter. He paced the Bucks to 24 factors within the paint, however the Celtics’ capacity to strain their ball-handlers and rotate to problem pictures resulted in Milwaukee taking pictures 37 p.c from the sphere and three/16 (18.8 p.c) from past the arc.
Tatum Leads the Means as Celtics Prolong Their Lead Coming into the Fourth Quarter
Vacation began the second-half scoring, attacking off the dribble and flattening a mid-range jumper from the baseline, bringing the Bucks’ deficit to single-digits, 53-45.
On the 9:58 mark, Horford tipped in a Williams missed a layup, giving the Celtics their largest lead of the sport, 56-45. Tatum prolonged it with a 3, placing Boston forward 59-45.
Grayson Allen countered with two factors on the rim, plus Williams’ third foul. He then made the free throw to make it a 59-48 recreation. Williams stayed on the ground.
Tatum responded, spinning previous Allen and elevating for a financial institution shot on the basket that pushed the Celtics’ benefit to 61-48.
He then attacked in transition and swung the ball again out to Brown for a leap shot from 20-feet to make it 63-48.
On the 7:54 mark, after Tatum blocked Portis, Brown acquired a layup and the foul, the fourth on Antetokounmpo. He could not flip it into three factors the old-fashion manner, although.
However after a Portis put-back dunk, Brown made up for it, drilling a 3 from the left-wing.
Then, after a missed three by Tatum, Antetokounmpo put again his missed layup, trimming the hole to 68-54. Portis then buried an open three from the suitable nook, making it a 68-57 recreation. That prompted Ime Udoka to take a timeout. In the course of the cease in play, Portis’s three acquired dominated a two because the officers noticed he had a foot on the road.
With 4:33 remaining, Pat Connaughton stepped into a 3 that lower Milwaukee’s deficit to 70-59. Practically a minute later, Antetokounmpo went onerous to the rim, drawing a foul on White, who hit his arm, negating that Brown acquired himself able for a cost towards the previous league MVP. That might’ve been Antetokounmpo’s fifth foul, which additionally means the decision would possibly’ve gone his manner.
Antetokounmpo knocked down the free throw to carry the Bucks inside eight, 70-62. Good Countered with a 3. Antetokounmpo answered with a leap hook from 14-feet out to make it 73-64.
With 2:19 left, Tatum earned two factors on a floater from six-feet out to place Boston on prime 75-64.
With 1:20 to go, a possession that includes a number of drive-and-kicks culminated with Good throwing the ball from above the arc to Daniel Theis for a mid-range jumper from the baseline, giving the guests a 77-64 benefit.
Then, Tatum swished a side-step three over Portis on the left-wing, extending the Celtics’ result in 83-68 with 12.3 seconds to play.
After that, Antetokounmpo earned one other journey to the road, the place he made each pictures to make the rating 83-70 getting into the break.
Tatum Scores 28 Factors within the Fourth Quarter as Celtics Prolong Collection
On the primary possession of the fourth quarter, White missed a layup however got here from behind to strip the ball from Antetokounmpo, resulting in a layup for Bown.
Barely over a minute into the ultimate body, Antetokounmpo screened for Connaughton, who gave the previous league MVP a bounce go in stride. Regardless of the Celtics taking part in drop protection, it ended with Antetokounmpo dunking over the a lot shorter Payton Pritchard. And he drew a foul and made the following free throw to make it 84-73.
Williams then drew a cost on Antetokounmpo, the latter’s fifth foul. Mike Budenholzer had little alternative however to problem the decision. The problem was profitable since Williams moved his ft late.
It additionally despatched final yr’s Finals MVP to the road. Antetokounmpo went 2/2 on the stripe. Connaughton then swished a 3 from the left nook to make it a six-point recreation, 84-78, with 9:47 to play.
On the 8:42 mark, Antetokounmpo swished an above-the-break three from 28-feet to make it 84-81. That gave him 40 factors. However Tatum countered with a fadeaway from the baseline because the shot clock expired to make it 87-81 Celtics.
After that, Connaughton acquired a reverse layup to drag Milwaukee inside 4. However Tatum once more answered, drilling a 3 over George Hill from the left-wing late within the shot clock to place Boston forward 90-83 with 7:19 left.
Good then drove and acquired the ball to Tatum for a beautiful fadeaway jumper from seven ft to increase the street crew’s benefit to 92-83.
On the following Bucks possession, Good tried to promote the contact and draw a cost towards Antetokounmpo, however there was no name on the play, and Antetokounmpo threw down a dunk to make it 92-85 with 6:32 remaining.
However after one other Connaughton layup, Tatum stayed scorching together with his seventh three of the sport, once more connecting from the left-wing, giving him 41 factors and the final 11 for the Celtics. It additionally gave them a 95-87 lead with 5:40 to play.
Boston then acquired a cease and took a timeout. Afterward, Brown swished a 3 from up prime to push Boston’s benefit to 98-87 with 5:12 left.
Good then buried a deep two because the shot clock wound all the way down to put Boston on prime 100-87 with 4:20 to go.
With 2:38 left, Tatum charged downhill, recognizing the shortage of rim safety for Milwaukee as Connaughton was the closest defender to the cup. He elevated for a layup plus the foul, then made the free throw to place the Celtics forward 103-89.
Vacation responded with a 3 to get the Bucks inside 11, 103-92, with 2:29 on the clock. However Tatum earned one other journey to the road after that, the place he went 2/2. Shortly after that, each groups emptied their benches.
Celtics followers needed a Jayson Tatum legacy recreation, they usually acquired it. He completed with 46 factors on 17/32 taking pictures, together with 7/15 on threes, and he went 5/7 on the free-throw line. It is the second-highest scoring output from a Celtic in an elimination recreation, matching Paul Pierce in 2002. Solely Sam Jones, who scored 47 in the identical circumstance in 1963, produced extra. And Tatum did it with calmness and poise, permitting the sport to come back to him.
The three-time All-Star additionally grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. Take into consideration not simply who Tatum did this towards, the defending champions, who’re one of many NBA’s greatest defensive groups, or that it is on the heels of a devastating loss at dwelling that pressured them to return to Milwaukee with their season on the road. But in addition respect the place Tatum’s at in his growth at age 24.
Whereas Tatum carried the Celtics’ offense within the second half, scoring 28 factors within the final two frames, together with 16 within the fourth, in addition they acquired 22 factors from Brown, who paired that with 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Good scored 21, had a game-high seven assists, and like Brown, he corralled 5 rebounds. He additionally did nicely defending Antetokounmpo for stretches of the sport, permitting Boston to tempo Horford and, to a lesser extent, Williams.
Talking of Horford, he deserves a ton of credit score for the way nicely he is guarding Antetokounmpo on this collection. The previous league MVP is in the identical air as Kevin Durant, the place people and a crew as a collective can defend him nicely, make him work for each level he will get, and he can nonetheless generate 44 like he did tonight.
Of their season-extending win, the Celtics assisted on 22/38 subject objectives and shot 17/43 (39.5 p.c) from past the arc. Enjoying small with White in for Williams at important junctures gave them one other ball-handler, enhancing their passing and off-ball exercise.
In Sport 5, the offense stagnated, however as their lead slipped away, in addition they gave up 17 offensive rebounds the Bucks become 20 second-chance factors. Downsizing to deal with the previous, trusting his crew to reduce what number of occasions Milwaukee prolonged possessions, was a gutsy transfer by Ime Udoka.
Boston additionally produced 15 factors on the free-throw line, just one lower than the Bucks, regardless of Antetokounmpo going 14/15 on the charity stripe.
And after committing 4 turnovers resulting in eight factors for the Bucks within the first quarter, the Celtics solely coughed up the ball 4 extra occasions the remainder of the sport, limiting the hosts to 2 factors off turnovers the remainder of the best way.
In addition they paired their scorching taking pictures from past the arc with 34 factors within the paint and ten further probability factors.
Lastly, Antetokounmpo was super on this recreation, scoring 44 factors, grabbing 20 rebounds, and distributing six assists. However Boston made him work onerous for many of what he acquired and stored everybody else in verify, holding his supporting forged underneath 20 and limiting the Bucks to 40.9 p.c taking pictures from the sphere and seven/29 (24.1 p.c) on threes.
What occurs in Sport 7 is anybody’s guess, and Sport 5’s loss nonetheless looms massive. However observers of this crew, no matter whether or not you are a fan, must be impressed by its character.
Up Subsequent
Sport 7 between the Celtics and Bucks is Sunday afternoon at 3:30 ET at TD Backyard. Inside The Celtics may have content material associated to the sport popping out earlier than, throughout, and after. And observe @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and evaluation from pregame to publish.
Additional Studying
The Prime 5 Performs from Sport 5 Between the Celtics and Bucks
What Stood Out from Sport 5: Bucks Rally, Hand Celtics Crushing Loss, Placing Boston on Brink of Elimination
Ime Udoka Discusses Derrick White’s Influence: ‘the pictures are simply icing on the cake’
What Stood Out in Sport 4’s Win: Celtics’ Character on Show as They Rally to Tie the Collection
[Film Room] What Led to Jayson Tatum’s Struggles in Sport 3 and How the Celtics Get Him Stepping into Sport 4
One-on-One with Cameron Look on His Inconceivable Journey to Designing Jayson Tatum’s Jordans
