Even though the Bucks traded for Jrue Holiday less than two months ago, he asserted that Wednesday night’s matchup with them was exactly like any other.
Joe Mazzulla agreed with such remarks. He wants the Celtics to approach every game with the same intensity, even acknowledging the excitement surrounding the matchup between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. And he was more concerned about his team’s development after a dismal road trip that ended with a terrible overtime defeat to the Hornets.
The Celtics delivered a message on Wednesday at TD Garden, however, and that is that they are the favorites in the East until proved differently, even if they aren’t eager in making any early-season declarations.
The Celtics took the lead in the first of what might be many meetings this season, setting up a possible Eastern Conference Finals preview. Early in the season, Boston’s squad proved to be superior against Milwaukee’s in a matchup of new-look teams. The Celtics did not make things easy for themselves, as they struggled once again in the closing minutes of the game, but they persevered to defeat the Bucks 119-116 in a raucous pre-Thanksgiving Garden atmosphere thanks to their strong start.
The Celtics recovered from their disappointing loss in Charlotte on Monday night thanks to a strong comeback performance from Jaylen Brown, who scored 26 points (including several highlight-reel dunks) and added eight assists. Jayson Tatum also scored 23 points, and the bench played well at times. They limited rookie Damian Lillard to 27 points on 24 shots and Bucks standout Giannis Antetokounmpo to 21 points on 7 of 20 shooting. The C’s maintained their poise in the closing seconds to secure a significant win despite the Bucks’ late charge.
With support from the bench and a strong defensive effort, the Celtics led by as much as 21 points in the first half before becoming careless in the second. Turnovers increased. After Kristaps Porzingis started drawing fouls, the Bucks eventually found their rhythm. With fewer than five minutes to go, the C’s were up by sixteen and were on the verge of winning. With 44 seconds remaining, Lillard made a step-back 3-pointer that abruptly reduced Boston’s advantage to 114-111.
On the subsequent drive, Tatum was fouled while driving to the hoop and made one of two free throws to increase the Celtics’ advantage to four points. The next time the Bucks had the ball, Lillard got a path to the basket and tried a dunk, but Derrick White’s pressure caused him to miss. To secure the win, Tatum grabbed the rebound and converted two free throws.
