Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown outdueled Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on Friday in an early-season matchup that had all the makings of a playoff preview.
Tatum and Brown combined for 59 points as the Celtics took down the Milwaukee Bucks 111-105 in a dramatic Eastern Conference clash at TD Garden.
An end-of-clock floater by ex-Buck Jrue Holiday (20 points) with 25.1 seconds remaining was the difference for Boston, which improved to 19-4. Neither team led by more than eight points in a contest that featured 14 lead changes and 11 ties.
The Bucks had won nine of 11 since their last meeting with the Celtics in mid-November and had forward Khris Middleton active for the first time this season following offseason surgery on both of his ankles.
Lillard (31 points) and Antetokounmpo (30 points, 11 rebounds) led the way for Milwaukee, which also got 18 boards from backup forward Bobby Portis. Middleton played 23 minutes off the bench, notching 11 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block.
As the Celtics prepare to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, here are seven takeaways from Friday’s thriller:
1. Rocket start for Brown, Tatum
The Celtics’ headlining duo went a combined 6-for-6 and 4-for-4 from three to open the game, scoring Boston’s first 16 points. Brown (25 points) was especially impactful early with 12 first-quarter points and aggressive, hounding defense on Antetokounmpo and Lillard.
Tatum has played the entire opening quarter in most of his games this season, but Mazzulla rolled with Brown in this one, subbing Sam Hauser in for Tatum after six minutes and not lifting Brown until the second quarter.
Boston led 29-27 after one, defending the paint well (Milwaukee went 3-for-11 inside) but allowing the Bucks to shoot 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.
2. Ice-cold second
For the first time this season, the bombs-away Celtics went an entire quarter without making a single 3-pointer. They went 0-for-12 from deep in the second. Brown was 0-for-2. Derrick White was 0-for-3. Tatum was 0-for-6.
Brown and Tatum found success attacking the basket, though, and Boston got some inspired play from Sam Hauser, who had two made jumpers, two rebounds and one steal in a single 71-second span. Despite losing their most potent offensive weapon with their oh-fer from three, the Celtics led for most of the quarter and trailed by just four at halftime, 57-53.
“I thought our defense was tremendous throughout the game,” Mazzulla said. “… I felt like our defense kept us in it, and we fought for great looks throughout the night.”
3. Brown, Giannis tangle again
Just like the last Celtics-Bucks matchup, this one featured some after-the-whistle antics involving the NBA Finals MVP and the two-time NBA MVP.
On Nov. 10, it was Antetokounmpo hitting Brown with an elbow during a drive to the basket and then removing his hand as Brown went to shake it — a taunt that prompted the Celtics star to call him “a child.”
Early in the third quarter Friday, Brown converted a tough layup over the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo, pulled out a “too small” celebration and then pointed at Antetokounmpo while they jogged up the court, jawing as he did. That sequence resulted in a technical foul that Brown and his teammates disputed.
4. Third-quarter swings
The Celtics rediscovered their 3-point stroke during a back-and-forth third quarter that featured six lead changes and five ties. A three by Holiday made it 63-63 at the 7:28 mark of the quarter, and back-to-back makes from Brown and Hauser three minutes later put Boston ahead 73-72.
Milwaukee carried an 82-78 advantage into the fourth quarter after benefiting from a controversial flurry of Celtics fouls, including three on a single Bucks possession. Mazzulla and assistant coach Tony Dobbins pulled referee Ben Taylor aside between quarters to plead their case.
5. Tatum takeover
Tatum scored eight points in the first four minutes of the third, including a made three on Boston’s first possession and an and-1 three on the next that put the Celtics back ahead. Later, after Milwaukee retook the lead and Boston successfully challenged a Hauser block on Antetokounmpo, Tatum threaded a pass to a cutting Holiday for a layup, then scored one of his own over Bucks reserve A.J. Green to make it 100-99 Celtics with 4:17 remaining.
After a Lillard dunk put the Bucks back on top, Tatum drew a goaltending call on an emphatic slam for a 102-101 lead. Milwaukee then came up empty on back-to-back possessions, and Horford buried a three to make it a four-point game.
Holiday scored four points in the final 25 seconds to bury his former team. Tatum finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and was a game-best plus-14.
The Bucks scored one field goal over the final six minutes.
6. Managing the bigs
With games on Friday and Saturday this week, Mazzulla staggered Kristaps Porzingis’ and Horford’s usage, sitting the former against Milwaukee and playing the latter. That’s standard operating procedure for Boston, Porzingis and Horford both typically sit out one end of back-to-backs.
Horford finished with eight points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
Barring a surprise lineup decision, expect to see Porzingis up and Horford down against Memphis.
7. Rotation tightens
The Celtics were missing multiple starters in each of their previous three games, leading to increased minutes for deep reserves like Drew Peterson, Jordan Walsh, Xavier Tillman and Baylor Scheierman.
With everyone but Porzingis available on Friday, Mazzulla shrank his rotation, using only Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Neemias Queta off the bench.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said he didn’t talk about Pritchard in the team’s morning meeting, hoping that would improve Milwaukee’s fortunes against Boston’s Sixth Man of the Year favorite. That strategy had the desired effect. After pouring in 46 points and shooting 65% from three across the teams’ first two meetings, Pritchard attempted just three shots and finished with zero points in 24 minutes.
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