Jaylen Brown was the star of the game
It wasn't just Jaylen's team-high 33 points or his five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. It was the way he produced all of that. He shot 54% from the field, 38% on 3-pointers and a perfect (yes, perfect) 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. He scored in every way possible. Brown kept in team in contention when the offense otherwise faltered, and he got his points in the flow of the game.
Jayson Tatum is one cold character
Despite forcing his offense on many occasions during the game, Jayson still manged 30 points, hitting 43% on field goals and 46% on treys. And with less than one second remaining in the game and his team trailing, Tatum launched the game winning 3-pointer over Giannis Antetokounmpo. BANG! Giannis had a chance to tie the score but missed 1-of-2 free throws.
Tatum needs to become a better facilitator
Jayson picked up a mere two assists in the closely-contested game and never went to the foul line. That won't work in the long run, so he needs to improve that part of his game.
Jeff Teague is not ready for the rocking chair quite yet
Teague is a scorer. Period! He is a perfect back-up for a Celtics team that often struggles to put points on the board. He produced 19 points in 25 minutes, hitting 7-of-15 from the field and 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. He added three rebounds, four assists, two steals and one exquisite block on a Milwaukee breakaway that helped seal the win.
It was Boston's defense that got them back into this game
The Celtics trailed 48-39 at the mid-point of the second quarter but went on a 10-0 run, mostly due to the defense supplied by Marcus Smart, Payton Pritchard, Semi Ojeleye, Jaylen Brown and Tristan Thompson. That was the turning point in the game.
Semi Ojeleye is making it difficult for Danny Ainge to let him go
Semi's stats were not spectacular. They never are. But five point on perfect shooting from the field (2-of-2) and beyond the arc (1-of-1), along with four rebounds, a team-high plus/minus of +20 and only one foul (questionable?) in 19 minutes could mean he sticks on the roster. His defense has never been in question.
We may have seen the kids Brad trusts out there versus Milwaukee
The three youngsters that saw floor time last night were Payton Pritchard, Rob Williams and Grant Williams. Rookie Pritchard only hit on one-of-four shots in 13 minutes, but it was a nifty 3-pointer well behind the arc. Rob hit both of his shots - took down four boards and made one Hell of a block in 12 minutes. Grant was on the floor for 15 minutes and hit one trey while adding one-each of rebounds, steals and blocks.
Fast breaks by Bucks, and lack thereof by Celtics, were on display last night
Milwaukee started the game killing the Celtics on fast breaks. My question was, why are the Celtics not doing the same. That changed on a perfect block by Smart, followed by a long outlet to Jayson for the layup. We need to see more of it from The Green.
Celtics need to find a way to avoid periods of stagnant offense
Shaquille O'Neal said that on this morning's NBA TV broadcast. Shaq indicated that there are times when Boston finds it hard to score. Smart and Brown were Boston's top-2 assists guys last night (7 & 4 assists, respectively). Theis had three assists, but the team needs more of that from some of the other participants (Jayson?).
We may see Celtics rise in the ratings after this victory
Many fans did not expect a win against the Bucks last night. And with The Greek Freak's new-found accuracy from distance (3-of-8 treys), the next game versus Milwaukee may not end in Boston's favor. But for now, we'll take the victory.
One of my 10 takeaways from last night's win over the Bucks was Semi Ojeleye making it difficult for Danny Ainge to let him go. What do my followers think>https://t.co/2c2MK1KscI
— Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) December 24, 2020
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