Heading into the season, particularly after the Jrue Holiday trade, the schedule makers had to feel good about having the Celtics and Bucks play on national television in the final week of the season.
Initial expectations painted a picture of a fierce battle for the top spot in the Eastern Conference between Milwaukee and Boston. However, that never materialized.
Since November 15, the Celtics have stood alone atop the Eastern Conference. Boston has had a double-digit lead in the Conference since March 18, and it clinched the Conference before any other team clinched a playoff spot.
While the Celtics have been consistently running teams out of the gym, the Milwaukee Bucks have been embroiled in turmoil, evidenced by the firing of first-year head coach Adrian Griffin in late January despite the team posting a 30-13 record under his guidance.
They then pivoted to Doc Rivers, but it hasn’t necessarily delivered results. Entering Tuesday night, Milwaukee was 15-17 under Rivers and had lost four consecutive games — three against teams ranked 12th or lower in their respective conferences.
The circumstances couldn’t have been more different.
With the Celtics having clinched the NBA’s best record and home-court advantage throughout the NBA Finals, they are in cruise control, allowing them the luxury of resting Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford Tuesday night.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, needed this game — and needed it desperately. The Bucks had been scuffling, fighting to keep ahead of Orlando and New York, who are hot on their tails for the two-seed in the East.
The result was two totally different teams.
The Bucks came out motivated, firing on all cylinders. Behind some hot shooting, Milwaukee scored 37 points in the first quarter on 14-of-19 (73.7%) shooting from the field and 8-of-10 (80%) from distance. Thirteen of their 18 makes were assisted.
Conversely, the Celtics looked disengaged, especially on the defensive end, contributing to Milwaukee’s scorching start. The sloppy defense led to disjointed offense, as the Celtics shot 8-of-26 (30.8%) from the field in the opening quarter, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown shooting a combined 2-of-11 (18.1%).
Although Milwaukee’s long-range shooting cooled off considerably after the opening frame, the fast start was all they needed. The Bucks pushed the lead to 24 in the second quarter, and while such a lead in today’s NBA may not carry the same weight as before, it spelled the end for the Celtics, who weren’t entirely engaged.
Boston made things interesting for a moment, holding Milwaukee to just 15 points in the third quarter. Still, they were never able to reduce the lead to double digits, and a 7-0 run to open the fourth quarter extinguished any hopes of a comeback, with the Celtics falling 104-91. Boston’s 91 points were a season-low.
Jayson Tatum scored 22 points for Boston in the loss, while Jaylen Brown finished with his sixth double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. Both Tatum and Brown saw their typical workload.
Patrick Beverley scored a team-high 20 points for Milwaukee, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, and Bobby Portis poured in 15 points. With the win, the Bucks became the second team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff spot, 16 days after Boston had clinched the Conference.
Here are three takeaways as the Celtics have their five-game win streak snapped in the Cream City.
An unusual side of history
Tuesday night’s game lasted one hour and 57 minutes, which is unheard of for a national TV game.
The reason behind that is there were 12 fouls called.
Despite the Celtics attempting 21 shots in the restricted area and 31 total in the paint, Milwaukee was only called for one shooting foul in the game. However, it was challenged and overturned, which resulted in the Celtics taking zero free throws for the entire game.
Boston became the first team in NBA history to not attempt a free throw in a game. In turn, they became just the second team in NBA history to not make a free throw in a game, joining the Toronto Raptors, who shot 0-for-3 in a loss to the Bulls in 1977.
Of the 12 fouls called Tuesday night, eight were called on Boston. Milwaukee’s four fouls were the fewest in NBA history.
Boston’s eight fouls resulted in only two free throw attempts for the Bucks, and Antetokounmpo split the pair, resulting in just one made free throw on the night.
They became just the eighth team in league history to make just one free throw in a game and the first since the Atlanta Hawks in 2018, who shot 1-of-1.
The two combined free throws between the teams also set a new record for fewest attempts in a game. The previous low was 11.
“Unbelievable,” Doc Rivers said postgame. “Man, Adam Silver is the happiest — 1:57 gametime — my goodness. You can go to a game and still have dinner. Unbelievable.”
“I thought it was a physical game. And then, they handed me the stat sheet, and I told them, ‘No, I need the full game.’ I thought it was the halftime stats. I didn’t look at the minutes. Then I said, ‘Wow, two free throws for a basketball game.’ That’s crazy.”
Since right around the All-Star break, the NBA has seen a decrease in scoring and fouls called, but this took things to a new extreme.
“Another day in the NBA,” Jayson Tatum said postgame, shaking his head.
Giannis Antetokounmpo suffers a non-contact injury
After a Derrick White made three, Antetokounmpo inbounded the ball and began lightly jogging up the court before suddenly faltering to the ground and grabbing his calf.
Upon realizing his superstar was seated and grabbing his calf, Rivers called a timeout. Bucks’ staff members checked on Antetokounmpo before he was helped off the floor by his teammates and walked back to the locker room under his own power with a noticeable limp.
The two-time MVP did not return to the game.
“That’s a good question,” Rivers said when asked about the level of concern regarding Antetokounmpo’s injury. “High. I would say that. You know, he’s Giannis. I think everyone probably feels the same way as I do right now. We’re just going hope for the best.”
The Bucks are calling the injury a left soleus strain.
Non-contact injuries are always worrying, especially when they involve a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber right before the postseason.
Looking ahead, the Bucks’ hold on the second seed is not guaranteed, and they face the third-hardest strength of schedule remaining. They will face the Orlando Magic, who are chasing them for the two seed, twice, as well as the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It’s almost certain that Antetokounmpo will miss the second night of the back-to-back when the Bucks host the Magic on Wednesday night. A win for the Magic would bring them within just one game of the Bucks for the two-seed.
This injury could have a significant impact on the playoff picture both in the short and long term.
Home sweet home
Tuesday night was the Celtics’ final road game of the 2023-24 regular season campaign. Boston finishes 27-14 on the road, clinching the best road record in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics outscored opponents by an average margin of +7.5 points per game, which ranks third-best in franchise history and eighth-best in NBA history. Both Celtics teams that finished with a higher margin reached the NBA Finals 2007-08 (+8.0) and 2021-22 (+7.6).
With the first round of the NBA playoffs not starting until April 20, the Celtics will return home for at least two weeks before their next road game, Game 3 of the first round. This extended stay at home offers a precious opportunity for rest, preparation, and fine-tuning as they gear up for their pursuit of Banner 18.
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