Thirty-four points, their fewest in any half since last January, and only the second time they’ve been held under 35 points in a half since the 2020 season.
12-of-46 (26.1%) shooting from the field, a season-worst for a single half.
3-of-26 (11.5%) shooting from three, including a streak of 16 consecutive misses, the fourth-longest in franchise history.
13 points in the third quarter, tied for the second-fewest in the Mazzulla era.
Outscored 56-34.
Put together, it was as ugly as it reads for the Celtics in the second half of their 116-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum, a Bucks team that had dropped eight of its last 10 games and was playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Maybe it was the layoff. Maybe they got distracted trying to respond to Milwaukee’s trash talk. Maybe their eyes were on Monday night’s showdown with the East-leading Detroit Pistons. Or maybe an offense that entered the night second in offensive efficiency was simply due for a stinker. Whatever the cause, shots weren’t falling, execution faltered, and what had been one of the league’s most efficient offenses suddenly looked off-kilter, as a brutal second half brought the Celtics’ five-game winning streak to a crashing end.
“I thought, for the most part, we found advantages and missed them,” Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought we had some good moments of advantage creation and missing shots. But then I thought they turned their pressure up a little bit, and we just weren’t as sharp on the execution in the second half there.”
Those offensive struggles carried over to the defense, where the Celtics allowed 56 points in the second half as the Bucks shot 22-of-35 from the field (62.9%) and 7-of-12 from three (58.3%). Both marks were the second-highest percentages the Celtics have allowed in any half this season. Bobby Portis (18 points) and Kyle Kuzma (13) nearly outscored Boston on their own, while the Bucks recorded 14 assists, which was more than the Celtics' 12 made baskets.
“They had some great shotmaking tonight,” Mazzulla said. “But I think a lot of it came from just their ability to break us down, spread us out, and make passes for open shots.”
The rare offensive off-night led to a rare blowout for the Celtics, who have lost by double digits only four times this season and been beaten by 15 or more points just twice. Both of those games, not surprisingly, were also their worst shooting nights of the season: 38.8% in a 27-point loss to the Rockets, and 38.6% on Thursday night. It was their first double-digit loss since November 7, against Orlando.
“We just went on ice,” Jordan Walsh said. “I wouldn’t say any looks were bad looks. I feel like the shots that we took, we take them again in the next game, like those are all going in, or at least a lot of them are going in. It just happens. In this game, we got them up, and they just didn’t fall. But as easy as they didn’t fall, it could easily just go the other way and go in. It’s just that we’ve gotta find a way to re-tune ourselves, get stops on the other end, and get advantages.”
There is plenty of unpredictability across the 82-game NBA regular season, and this game was a textbook example. Kuzma and Portis combined for a staggering 58 points on 24-of-30 (80%) shooting from the field and 6-of-8 (75%) from three. They outscored every Celtic not named Jaylen Brown (30 points, 10-of-17 FG, 2-of-4 3PT) and Jordan Walsh (20 points, 8-of-10 FG, 3-of-4 3PT) combined, while the rest of the roster managed just 51 points on a woeful 16-of-61 (26.2%) from the field and 9-of-41 (21.9%) from three.
“Give credit to them,” Jaylen Brown said. “Bobby Portis, Kuzma, and [Kevin Porter Jr.] looked like Bosh, Wade, and LeBron. They played exceptionally well tonight.”
Nights like this happen in an 82-game season. The good news is that such performances are rare, and Boston will have another chance to reset on Monday against the East-leading Pistons.
“Just one of those nights it’s not our night,” Mazzulla said. “We’ve played some good basketball and have an understanding of when we’re at our best. Tonight, we got a taste of when we’re not at our best. We’ve got to get back to work, continue to work at it, but it’s just one of those. Not our night, move on to the next one.”
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