BOSTON — The Boston Celtics got the gift they wanted for Christmas. Their once unstoppable offense that had been gone for the past few weeks has finally returned. Led by 41 points from Jayson Tatum and 29 points from Jaylen Brown, the Celtics outran the Bucks in the second half and won 139-118.
Tatum helped the Celtics take control of the game in the third quarter with a great 20-point frame. He scored all over the area, not just in the third but all night. The Bucks just didn’t have an answer for his string of jumpers and drives, which he complemented with 10 trips to the free-throw line. Tatum, who fired 14 of 22 from the field in his fifth straight 30-point game, also had seven rebounds and five assists.
The Celtics have also caught fire from downtown, something they’ve largely failed to do over the past two weeks. They hit eight 3s in the first quarter alone, including a throw at Sam Hauser’s buzzer, and finished 19 of 39 behind the arc. This was the 10th time they’ve made at least 19 3s in a game this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 27 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bucks, but this was a tough outing for the two-time MVP. Similar to the playoffs, the Celtics made him work for every single point and kept him off the field on 9 of 22. Even the shots he hit were mostly jumpers.
Here are some key takeaways from the game:
1. Tatum shines again
Midway through the second quarter, Jayson Tatum cornered a great pass to Marcus Smart, seemingly freeing his teammate for a wide-open 3-pointer. However, Smart was altruistic and returned it to Tatum in the give-and-go. Tatum was careful not to waste the extra pass and threw a huge one-handed slam at Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“The game was just attacking the edge,” Tatum said. “The Bucks are a big, physical team. If you go in there and try to put it on, they’ll probably block it, especially him.”
He’d been down this path before in Game 3 of the team’s semifinal playoff series last season, so this wasn’t anything new. On the contrary, it was a reminder of Tatum’s willingness and ability to go head-to-head with the league’s elite players. His 41-point out against Antetokounmpo marked the fifth time he had scored at least 30 points against another player in the top-10 of the NBA’s official MVP ladder. He also has two other 25-point games against such players. In those games – against Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, etc. – he averaged 34.2 points.
“It’s fun,” Tatum said. “It’s fun to play on national TV, it’s fun to play at Christmas. These matchups are fun. You can play against the other best players and it increases your level of play. The competition is exciting, but this is the game you live for – the moments, the duels. If you can’t get up for these games, you’re probably in the wrong job. In the middle of it all, it’s just a lot of fun to compete on a stage like this.”
2. Another rough night for Giannis
Giannis Antetokounmpo put on some monster numbers when these two teams met in the playoffs last season, including three 40-point games. But even though he averaged 33.9 points, 14.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists in those seven games, it took him 28 shots per game to get there and was thoroughly worn down by the process.
Sunday’s meeting looked like Game 8 of that series as the length, physicality and depth of the Celtics’ defenders frustrated the two-time MVP. Again, his closing numbers were strong: 27 points, nine rebounds and three assists. However, he went off the field 9 of 22 and only made two shots in the paint. The game plan and the defensive talent of the Celtics worked again.
“He’s a talented player, one of the best in the league,” said Grant Williams. “For us, it’s just about doing everything we can to contain it, making sure it’s physical and making sure none of the shots he’s taking are easy.”
Williams, who starred in the Celtics’ Game 7 win of the playoffs last season, is one of the main options against the Greek freak. He again played a prominent role in the Celtics’ victory.
“For myself, just stay in front of him, match the physicality that he brings, and force him to hit hard,” Williams said. “He made a lot of tough fadeaways against me today. Those are the ones you have to live with. Just nod your head and keep it moving. Aside from that, just do your best to play with a natural physicality because he will do the same. He won’t stop. He’s relentless and so are we.”
3. Celtics offense, 3-point shooting reappears
The Celtics’ offense in the first six weeks of the season was always difficult to sustain, but while a step backwards was expected, a complete free fall was not to be expected. During their terrible 1-5 stretch, the Celtics had the worst offense in the league, firing 28.6 percent on open and wide-open 3-pointers.
As if their Christmas wish had been answered, the Celtics’ offense resurfaced on Sunday. Especially the 3-point shooting was outstanding. Five of their first seven baskets were 3s, and they handled eight threes in the first quarter alone, including Sam Hauser’s 37-foot lever on the buzzer. Despite a cold streak mid-game, they finished 19 of 39 from downtown and had seven different players who scored at least a 3.
This was only the second time this month that they had at least 19 3-pointers, but the 10th time this season. No other team has as many games like this, and the only other teams to make it five times are the Golden State Warriors (nine), Dallas Mavericks (six), Indiana Pacers (six), and Utah Jazz (five).
Overall, the Celtics shot 58.8 percent from the field and scored 139 points, which was their second-highest total this season. Interim head coach Joe Mazzulla credited their pace for why they were so successful on the ball.
“I thought we were disciplined in our game plan and execution,” Mazzulla said. “We sprinted to our distance; I thought we had a lot of good attacks in the first six to eight seconds of the shot clock. I thought we could get layups early, which spread out their defense and allowed us to execute them on the halfcourt. That’s when we’re at our best when we’re in that first six- to eight-second window where we’re gaining an advantage, whether it’s from a distance or with a quick action.
4. Play from the rut
Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens, speaking ahead of the team’s win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the shootaround on Friday, said, “From my perspective the last two weeks, we look like we’re in a little rut. We just have to play our way out of it.”
That’s exactly what the team did. First, a hard fought dismal win over the Timberwolves in which they didn’t shoot the ball well but found things out in the fourth quarter. Now, at Christmas, a clear victory against the team with the second best record in the league. The Celtics are back at the top of the league 24-10 and have won back-to-back games for the first time since December 5-7. With the lowly Houston Rockets (9-23) next, they have a chance to start putting together a series.
Has a celebratory matchup this Christmas against a rival for the top spot in the East and the league brought the Celtics back to life? “Absolutely,” said Al Horford. “One of the top teams in our league and we had to put in that kind of effort because if they don’t they will embarrass you. They’re a really good team.”
The key now will be for the Celtics to maintain that type of game like they did earlier in the season.