The Celtics’ five-game win streak stalled Thursday evening in snowy Milwaukee.
Going through a scuffling Bucks crew that was taking part in with out two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston went chilly within the second half and misplaced 116-101 at Fiserv Discussion board.
Antetokounmpo missed the sport with a calf pressure, however the Celtics couldn’t corral the Bucks’ red-hot position gamers. Kyle Kuzma led all scorers with 31 factors on 13-of-17 taking pictures, Bobby Portis scored 27 on 11-of-13, together with a 5-for-6 exhibiting from 3-point vary, and Kevin Porter Jr. completed with an 18-point, 13-assist, 10-rebound triple-double.
Jaylen Brown (30 factors on 10-of-17) and Jordan Walsh (20 factors on 8-of-10, eight rebounds, three steals) turned in robust offensive efforts for Boston, however the Celtics couldn’t overcome a sequence of 16 consecutive missed 3-pointers that stretched from halftime till halfway by means of the fourth quarter. Up by seven at halftime, they have been outscored 56-34 within the second half.
It was an particularly tough evening for Wisconsin native Sam Hauser, who went 0-for-10 off the bench and missed all 9 of his threes. Guards Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and Anfernee Simons shot a mixed 9-for-36 and 6-for-26 from past the arc, totaling 29 factors.
The 15-10 Celtics had received 10 of their earlier 12 video games to maneuver into third place in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks have been trending in the other way, going 2-10 of their earlier 12.
Boston, which had three days off earlier than Thursday’s recreation, received’t play once more till subsequent Monday, when it hosts the first-place Detroit Pistons at TD Backyard.
Walsh obtained off to a different disruptive begin with steals on two of Milwaukee’s first three possessions, and head coach Joe Mazzulla made an early name to the bench, subbing in Josh Minott for heart Neemias Queta simply over two minutes in. Mazzulla alternated between normal lineups with Queta and smaller, Minott-centric teams all through the evening, as persevering with a development that started late final month.
Boston proceeded to attain on 5 of its six journeys down the ground, together with 3-pointers by Minott, Pritchard, Walsh and Walsh once more. Walsh’s second triple made it 21-8 halfway by means of the primary quarter.
The Celtics’ younger wings don’t try a excessive quantity of threes, however they’ve been extremely environment friendly on these pictures this season. Walsh, Minott, Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman all entered Thursday taking pictures higher than 44% from past the arc.
Brown, the reigning Jap Convention Participant of the Week, performed the whole opening quarter and didn’t miss, scoring 13 factors on 5-of-5 taking pictures. He closed out the interval with three consecutive makes, giving the Celtics some respiration room after Milwaukee trimmed their lead from 13 factors to 1.
Walsh hit his first seven pictures to open the sport, nailing a nook three in entrance of the Celtics bench to cap a career-best 18-point first half. Recognized extra for his stingy protection, Walsh has been remarkably efficient as a shooter of late. He’s gone 30-for-37 from the sector (81.1%) and 9-for-12 from deep (75%) over his final 5 video games, elevating his profession field-goal share by greater than seven factors within the course of.
The one different participant this season to attain 18 factors in a primary half on 100% taking pictures: Nikola Jokic.
The Celtics transformed simply two subject objectives within the remaining 5 minutes of the half, nevertheless — a Walsh putback and his 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds to play — and performed the final 3:23 with out Brown, who was referred to as to the bench after choosing up his third foul. Milwaukee pulled to inside 4 instantly after Brown’s exit, however Ryan Rollins’ three-shot foul in opposition to White helped recenter the C’s. They took a 67-60 lead into halftime.
Boston’s team-wide taking pictures points intensified within the third quarter, and the Bucks capitalized on that droop, staging an 11-0 run that tied the sport at 71-71. 9 Portis factors in 89 seconds put Milwaukee up 82-77 — the fiery veteran ahead celebrated the final of these by jawing at Brown, which earned him a technical foul — and a few powerful makes from Cole Anthony made it 87-80 heading into the fourth.
The Celtics tried 22 pictures within the third and missed 18 of them, together with all 12 of their 3-point makes an attempt. Milwaukee outscored the 27-13 within the body.
Brown ended Boston’s 3-point drought with 7:38 to play in regulation, pushing him over the 30-point plateau for the seventh time in his final eight video games. However the remainder of the Celtics’ roster remained frigid. Hauser, dependable for the previous a number of weeks after an early-November chilly spell, missed three pictures on a single possession — two threes and a bunny layup — because the Bucks constructed a double-digit lead, then pulled away.
The Celtics shot 38.6% from the sector within the loss, their worst mark since January. Their 28.6% success price from 3-point vary was their third-worst of the season.
Capturing had been certainly one of Boston’s best strengths throughout its current 12-game scorching streak. Solely Oklahoma Metropolis and Denver made a better share of their field-goal makes an attempt over the past 4 weeks, and the Celtics led the NBA in made subject objectives and made threes per recreation throughout that span.
The Celtics are 4-10 this season once they shoot worse than 47% from the sector and 4-10 once they make lower than 36% of their threes. They’re undefeated (11-0) once they hit both of these marks.
