The Celtics dug themselves a huge hole to begin the second half in Milwaukee tonight, and they simply could not recover.
Boston made a valiant comeback in the fourth, tying the game with less than a minute left, but it was a classic case of too little, too late, as the Bucks win 112-111.
The sloppy play was prevalent early, as the Celtics turned the ball over 10 times in the first half. But they used 50% shooting from the field (and 7 of 7 from the line) to go into the half up 54-53. Milwaukee’s Greg Monroe just pummeled the Celts in the paint, as 34 of the Bucks’ first half points were acquired down low. The Celtics’ guards were the focal point of their offense early, as Bradley, Thomas & Smart combined for 27 first half points.
Then, the third quarter happened. Behind (who else) Monroe, Milwaukee had their way with Boston in the 3rd. The Bucks dropped 40 points on Boston in the quarter, which tied a season-high by an opponent. Couple that with 8 Celtic turnovers, and the C’s headed into the final quarter down by 19 points. It looked like they had dug a hole that they would not be able to climb out of. But as we’ve seen most of the season, this team simply does not give up-and that was the case tonight.
The Celtics went on an 11-2 run near the halfway point of the fourth, and the lead was down to nine, 101-92 after a Jerebko put back with 5:17 left. The C’s then got some big buckets from Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder, and after Jae’s three went in with 0:23 left, we were tied at 109. This team once again showed serious resolve, and kept fighting where others would have simply thrown in the towel. It started to look a lot like their miracle win in Cleveland last Friday. But alas it was not to be. A bad foul by Avery Bradley, who told the media afterwards he was just “too aggressive” on the play, with 1 second left sent Khris Middleton to the line and this one was over.
Frankly, I’m disappointed that Boston lost another “winnable” game to a mediocre team-but you’re simply not going to get wins when you turn the ball over that many times. Even against a squad like the Bucks who know very well how to throw away games in the final few minutes.
The Celtics now fly back to Boston for tomorrow night’s game against Paul Pierce and the Clippers.
The Green:
- Boston had 0 turnovers in the final quarter, and shot 52% from the field and 100% (7 of 7) from the line in the 4th
- Celts bench combined for 50 points
The Gross:
- Boston turned the ball over 18 points leading to 25 Bucks points
- The aforementioned 40 point third quarter by Milwaukee
The Greenlights:
Evan Turner with the sweet no-look dish to Jonas for the layup! pic.twitter.com/raIikuvxRw
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 10, 2016
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Jae Crowder with the fastball to Avery Bradley for the bucket in transition! pic.twitter.com/s6Jz1Xlhjd
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 10, 2016
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The Grid: (quick stats)
- Rebounds: BOS 44 MIL 38
Crowder on Bradley's foul in the last second: "He just won us a game the other day (vs. Cleveland)."
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 10, 2016
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