Joe Mazzulla ended the question. Before Wednesday’s game against the Bucks, a question called the Celtics’ double-digit lead atop the Eastern Conference “comfortable.”
“Nothing comfortable in the NBA,” Mazzulla interrupted.
Then the field version unfolded.
In fact, the Celtics may have been too comfortable Wednesday night against the Bucks, who were without star Giannis Antetekounmpo. They built an 18-point lead early in the fourth and led by 21 before nearly wiping it out. The Bucks fought back and created some anxious moments inside TD Garden late, but the Celtics remained calm as they survived for their seventh straight victory with a 122-119 victory.
The win extended the Celtics’ lead atop the Eastern Conference standings to 11 games over the Bucks with 13 to play. There aren’t many opportunities left for the C’s to extract valuable lessons or simulate playoff situations, and initially it didn’t look like they would have any either on Wednesday with Antetekounmpo back home in Milwaukee.
But after largely blowing teams out over the past two months, the Celtics took a rare opportunity to play in a tight, pressure-filled situation to practice their late-game execution and clutch timing. This time they passed the test.
“There are going to be games like that,” Brown said. “There are going to be games where you miss shots, games where things might not go your way or the other team makes a ridiculous number of shots and you have to find ways to win. I thought we handled the situation well.
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, Derrick White added 23 and Payton Pritchard had a monster performance off the bench with 19 points as the Celtics controlled most of the game. But after leading by 21 early in the fourth, they faced problems against the Bucks’ zone. The Celtics scored just nine points in nearly 10 minutes, allowing the visitors to claw their way back behind Damian Lillard and Bobby Portis.
Portis almost became an unlikely hero off the bench as he scored eight straight points to bring the Bucks within three with 2:56 remaining. That sequence was sandwiched around two missed free throws by Brown, leading to some nail-biting moments in the backyard. But when faced with sudden adversity, they responded accordingly.
Tatum – who had no shots in the third quarter – scored his first points of the second half as he began attacking the basket. His two free throws followed by a lay-up brought order to the building.
“It was a great moment,” said Mazzulla, who added that the Celtics got back to good spacing against Milwaukee’s zone and praised Tatum’s decision-making in those moments. “I thought Jayson’s composure throughout his trajectory to get to the free throw line, getting to the spot he wanted was the key to the game. That, and then our defensive intensity as a team.
Kristaps Porzingis’ dunk with 1:12 left gave the Celtics a seven-point lead before taking one last shot from the Bucks. Lillard nailed a step-back 3-pointer before Portis’ floater with 33 seconds left brought it within two. But on the next possession, Brown fouled out and found redemption by hitting both free throws.
Lillard missed a layup on the next play and the Celtics escaped. After being criticized for poor execution late in the game earlier this month, the C’s executed down the stretch in a rare clutch situation.
“We hadn’t been there in a little while, and it was just a good learning experience,” Mazzulla said.
Pritchard was responsible for giving the Celtics a big early spark that helped them take control, and it was inspired by a perceived slight.
Bucks guard – and notorious agitator – Patrick Beverley appeared to make the “too small” gesture to teammate Luke Kornet during a play early in the second quarter. Prtichard admitted he took it personally and it lit a fuse in him.
The Celtics had a five-point lead before Pritchard took full control of the second unit. He scored or assisted on 15 straight points for the Celtics and 18 of 21 points, a stretch that included an impressive step-back jumper. On one play, he also stole for an offensive rebound on Brook Lopez and fouled the Bucks big man, which generated a standing ovation from the Garden crowd.
“Just a winning play,” Pritchard said. “He’s 7 feet and I’m 6 feet – short by NBA standards. I don’t know. Just a competitor.
The Celtics took an 18-point lead during that stretch, then a sizable halftime lead before Lillard made a couple of 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the third quarter, cutting Milwaukee’s deficit to five . But the C’s once again responded well to this brief adversity, using strong defense throughout the third quarter to cut their lead to 18 heading into the fourth.
Their offense suddenly went silent, but they found the critical answers when they needed them, another sign of growth for this year’s team.
“Last year I feel like this type of game could have gone away at the end, but we regrouped and finished it,” Pritchard said.
Although the victory gave the Celtics valuable experience in certain situations, Mazzulla didn’t get much use out of it for a potential playoff run. The Bucks didn’t have Antetokounmpo and the Celtics were missing Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser.
“I don’t want to think too much,” Mazzulla said. “Nothing is guaranteed in life. We can see them, they can see us, but we can’t do it. You never know what will happen. I know both teams are developing an identity, there’s obviously DNA that both teams have, but you don’t want to overthink it and you don’t take anything for granted.
