Giannis Antetokounmpo powerless against the Celtics steamroller

Defeated the day before after admitting a history 27-0 on the Bulls floor, the Bucks were counting on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s big return in hopes of sparking a new dynamic. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, Boston did not come to play “sparring partner” and took advantage of the lack of automatism in Doc Rivers’ training in the new configuration to dominate the debates and leave with a clear victory. Led by the trio of Pritchard-White-Gonzalez, Boston managed to dish out 31 assists for 20 3-pointers. Enough to quickly kill the suspense…

Milwaukee started well, with Ousmane Dieng in sight with the “Greek Freak” (15-14). But Boston quickly took the measure of their opponent by using their smooth basketball that forced the Bucks to burst from the first rush. It was 16-5 by the end of the first period, with 3-pointers by Ron Harper Jr., Baylor Scheierman and a prayer at the buzzer by Sam Hauser (20-30).

The 10-2 that followed at the opening of the second quarter confirmed the trend, already embarrassing the home team (22-40), while triples, Peyton Pritchard, Hugo Gonzalez and Derrick White twice kept Milwaukee at a good distance (30-52). The 10-3 that the home team added before the break only created an illusion (43-57) as Boston responded with a 15-0 3-point burst, leaving little doubt about the outcome of the match (50-74). Once again, the Bucks’ brief -12 comeback was just an illusion (65-77), as the C’s quickly regained control, this time on a run to victory.

Peyton Pritchard’s four 3-pointers in response were credited with increasing the margin to +31 to finish clean and flawless 25-6 (71-102). The 108-81 winners hung on at the end of the game and without Jaylen Brown, the Celtics impressed again…

WHAT TO REMEMBER

Contrasting return for Giannis Antetokounmpo. A little rusty (and under a minutes limit) to return to the competition after a forty-day absence, the leader of the Bucks did his best to try to give new momentum to his team (19 points, 11 rebounds in 25 minutes). But it will take a little more than his impressive dunks and drives to turn things around, especially against such a well-oiled machine.

Boston impresses. Even with Jaylen Brown, this team is not to be taken lightly. The basketball the Celtics played contrasted perfectly with the mistakes of the Bucks collective, which still clearly lacks collective experience in the new configuration, with Cam Thomas and Usman Dieng. Joe Mazzula’s team didn’t just win, they breezed through the debates with impressive ease. The two teams will meet again in a month for the final regular season matchup, still in Milwaukee. Bucks have a month to rebuild!

Usman Dieng confirms. Like the day before in Chicago, the Frenchman showed himself, especially at the start of the match with 8 points including two 3-point baskets and an assist from Giannis Antetokounmpo. The rest was less exciting (13 points, 2 assists at the end), but clearly, Ousmane Dieng is showing that he has the wherewithal to step up and contribute to this team at the end of the season.

Hyperactive Hugo Gonzalez. In all good moves, the Spaniard knew how to get his match off to a good start and continued in the same vein. Two career records crown his performance, with 18 points and 16 rebounds!

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = point difference when the player is on the court; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.