BOSTON --The Boston Celtics got the gift they were wishing for this Christmas. Their once unstoppable offense, which had disappeared over the last few weeks, has finally returned. Led by 41 points from Jayson Tatum and 29 points from Jaylen Brown, the Celtics ran away from the Bucks in the second half for a 139-118 win.
Tatum helped the Celtics seize control of the game foor good in the third quarter with a magnificent 20-point frame. He scored from all over the floor, not just in the third, but all night long. The Bucks simply had no answer for his array of jumpers and drives, which he supplemented with 10 trips to the free throw line. Tatum, who shot 14 of 22 from the field for his fifth consecutive 30-point game, also had seven rebounds and five assists.
The Celtics also caught fire from downtown, something they have not been able to do for the better part of the last two weeks. They made eight 3s in the first quarter alone, including a heave at the buzzer by Sam Hauser, and finished 19 of 39 from behind the arc. This was the 10th time they've made at least 19 3s in a game this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 27 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bucks, but this was a rough outing for the two-time MVP. Much like they did in the playoffs, the Celtics made him work for every single point, holding him to 9 of 22 from the field. Even the shots he did hit were primarily jumpers.
Here are some key takeaways from the game:
In the middle of the second quarter, Jayson Tatum threw a great pass to Marcus Smart in the corner, seemingly freeing up his teammate for a wide-open 3-pointer. Smart was unselfish, though, and passed it back to Tatum on the give-and-go. Tatum made sure not to waste the extra pass and threw down a huge one-handed slam on Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"The play was just attack the rim," Tatum said. "The Bucks are a big, physical team. If you go in there and try to lay it up, they're probably gonna block it, especially him."
He's been down that road before in Game 3 of the team's semifinal playoff series last season, so this wasn't something new. On the contrary, it was a reminder of Tatum's willingness and ability to go toe-to-toe with the league's elite players. His 41 point-outing against Antetokounmpo was the fifth time he's scored at least 30 points against another player in the top-10 of the NBA's official MVP ladder. He also has two other 25-point outings against such players. In those games -- against the likes of Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, etc. -- he's averaged 34.2 points.
"It's fun," Tatum said. "It's fun playing on national TV, it's fun playing on Christmas. Those match-ups are fun. You get to play against the other best players and it raises your level of play. The competition is exciting but that's the game that you live for -- the moments, the match-ups. If you can't get up for those games, you're probably in the wrong profession. In the midst of it, it's just a lot of fun competing on a stage like this."
Giannis Antetokounmpo put up some monster numbers when these two teams met in the playoffs last season, including three 40-point outings. But though he averaged 33.9 points, 14.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists over those seven games, he needed 28 shots per game to get there, and was thoroughly worn down by the process.
Sunday's meeting looked like Game 8 of that series, as the Celtics' length, physicality and depth of defenders frustrated the two-time MVP. Again, his final numbers were strong: 27 points, nine rebounds and three assists. However, he went 9 of 22 from the field and only made two shots in the paint. The Celtics' game plan and defensive talent once again succeeded.
"He's a talented player, one of the best in the league," Grant Williams said. "For us, it's just a matter of doing what we can to contain it, make sure it's physical and make sure none of the shots that he takes are easy."
Williams, who starred in the Celtics' Game 7 win in the playoffs last season, is one of the main options against the Greek Freak. He once again played a prominent role in the Celtics' victory.
"For myself, just stay in front of him, match the physicality he brings and force him into tough shots," Williams said. "He made a lot of tough fadeaways against me today. Those are ones you gotta live with. Just nod your head and keep it moving. Outside of that you just do your best to play with a natural physicality, because he's gonna do the same. He's not gonna stop. He's relentless and so are we."
The Celtics' offense through the first six weeks of the season was always going to be difficult to sustain, but while a step back may have been expected, a total free fall was not. During their awful 1-5 stretch, the Celtics had the worst offense in the league and shot 28.6 percent on open and wide-open 3-pointers.
As if their Christmas wish had been answered, the Celtics' offense reappeared on Sunday. The 3-point shooting, in particular, was stellar. Five of their first seven baskets were 3s, and they knocked down eight triples in the first quarter alone, including Sam Hauser's 37-foot heave at the buzzer. Despite a cold stretch in the middle of the game, they finished 19 of 39 from downtown and had seven different players make at least one 3.
This was just the second time this month they've made at least 19 3-pointers, but the 10th time they've done so this season. No other team has as many such games, and the only other teams to even do it five times are the Golden State Warriors (nine), Dallas Mavericks (six), Indiana Pacers (six) and Utah Jazz (five).
Overall, the Celtics shot 58.8 percent from the field and scored 139 points, which was their second-highest total this season. Interim head coach Joe Mazzulla credited their pace for why they were able to have so much success scoring the ball.
"I thought we were disciplined in our gameplan and execution," Mazzulla said. "We sprinted to our spacing; I thought we had a lot of good attacks in the first six-to-eight seconds of the shot clock. I thought we were able to get layups early, which spread their defense out and allowed us to execute in the halfcourt. That's when we're in our best is when we're in that first six-to-eight second window of creating advantage, whether it's in spacing or with a quick action."
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens spoke at shootaround on Friday prior to the team's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and said: "From my perspective, the last two weeks we look like we're in a little bit of a rut. We just need to play ourselves out of that."
The team has done just that. First, a hard-fought, gritty win over the Timberwolves in which they did not shoot the ball well but figured things out in the fourth quarter. Now, on Christmas, a statement win against the team with the second-best record in the league. The Celtics are back on top of the league at 24-10, and have won back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 5 and 7. With the lowly Houston Rockets (9-23) up next, they have a chance to start putting together a streak.
Did a marquee matchup on Christmas against a rival for the top spot in the East and the league spark the Celtics back to life? "Absolutely," Al Horford said. "One of the top teams in our league and we had to bring that type of effort, because if not they will embarrass you. They're a really good team."
The key now will be for the Celtics to sustain this type of play like they did early in the season.
Jayson Tatum ultimately fell short of the 45 points Tommy Heinsohn scored in 1961 to set the Celtics' Christmas Day scoring record, but he still went for 41 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 14-of-22 from the field. Here's a look back at the best moments from his performance.
The referees assessed a technical foul to Giannis Antetokounmpo for that incident and Jaylen Brown made the free throw. It turned out there was no shooting foul on the play either, so play will restart with a jump ball at center court and the Celtics leading by 19.
Joe Ingles was just fouled while shooting a 3-pointer, and things started to boil over in the aftermath. Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo came chest-to-chest, while Marcus Smart was having words with someone on the Bucks bench. Refs are going to the monitor to review
After Jayson Tatum took over the third quarter, Jaylen Brown is doing the same in the fourth. With Tatum sitting to start the frame, Brown ran the show for the Celtics and has hit a number of clutch shots to keep the Bucks at an arm's length. At one point in the middle of the quarter, he scored 10 consecutive points for the Celtics and is now up to 26 for the game to go along with five rebounds and four assists on 10-of-18 from the field
The Celtics beat the Bucks in Game 7 of their playoff series last season in large part because Grant Williams knocked down seven 3-pointers. While he hasn't been quite that hot today, he's hit some big shots in the second half to help the Celtics build and maintain their advantage. He's up to three made 3s and 11 points and five rebounds off the bench. His defense on Giannis Antetokounmpo has also been solid
The Celtics were finally able to open up some breathing room with a terrific third quarter in which they outscored the Bucks 38-25. They did so thanks to Jayson Tatum, who poured in 20 points in the frame, nearly matching the Bucks by himself. Tatum is up to 39 on the night, and is well on his way to his third 40-point outing in his last five games. He's also now just six points shy of matching Tommy Heinsohn for the Celtics' Christmas scoring record of 45 points, set in 1961.
Jayson Tatum got off to a strong start in the third quarter and has just not let up. Three-pointers, mid-range jumpers, fastbreak layups, free throws, he's done it all en route to a 20-point quarter with two minutes left to play in the frame. He's up to 39 points on 13-of-20 from the field on the night
Jayson Tatum is red hot and the Garden is alive, but the Bucks are hanging in there thanks to an unlikely source. Pat Connaughton -- a Massachusetts native -- scored eight consecutive points in a one-minute span to prevent this one from getting out of hand. Just as we all expected, it's turning into a Tatum-Connaughton duel
Jayson Tatum has scored at least 30 points in four consecutive games, with two 40-point outings included. He's well on his way to another 30-pointer this evening. After the Bucks failed to capitalize on a few opportunities to tie the game or take the lead, Tatum has knocked down a 3-pointer and mid-range jumper to push the Celtics' lead back to seven and give himself 24 points
The second half has gotten off to a slow start, with three fouls and four free throws in the first 30 seconds. After an entertaining first half, hopefully this doesn't become a free throw contest the rest of the way
The Celtics have been in control for much of the game, and it feels like they're up by more than they actually are at the break. Jayson Tatum (19 points) and Jaylen Brown (15 points) have led the way, and they're shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point land -- though they didn't make a single one in the second quarter.
Milwaukee has stayed in the game thanks to a team effort inside the arc. Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo have all scored in double figures, and as a team they've made 13-of-18 attempts in the paint.
There have been a few points in this game where it looked like the Celtics were going to break things open, but they haven't led by more than 11. The Bucks have stayed within striking distance the entire way, thanks in large part to their success inside the arc. They're 17-of-24 on 2s in this game
Jayson Tatum just threw down a huge dunk on Giannis Antetokounmpo that sent the Garden crowd into raptures. He made a nice pass to Marcus Smart, who was wide open in the corner, but Smart gave it right back instead of shooting, and Tatum dropped the hammer.
Giannis hasn't been able to get a ton going to the rim so far due to the Celtics' swarming defense, but in one-on-one situations in the mid-range he's been finding success. He's knocked down four jumpers already, which is a great sign for the Bucks because he's been shooting just 35 percent in the mid-range this season
After review they have called Bobby Portis for a physical taunt penalty. Jayson Tatum made the free throw for the Celtics who will now also have the ball. Portis apparently hit Grant Williams on the back after a rebound
Not entirely sure what's going on here but they just announced that the last play is under review for a potential hostile act. They haven't shown any replays in the arena yet so it's not clear what they're looking at. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary on the last sequence
Here's a look at Sam Hauser's incredible shot to end the first quarter. That was the eighth 3-pointer in the frame for the Celtics, who appear to have found their outside shot again.
The Celtics came out on fire from 3-point land, hitting eight 3-pointers in the first quarter including an extremely deep buzzer beater from Sam Hauser. Five different Celtics have already hit at least one triple, with Jaylen Brown leading the way with three. The Bucks haven't had much trouble putting the ball in the basket themselves -- seven different players have scored and they're shooting 52.4 percent from the field -- but they haven't been able to get many stops.
Jaylen Brown is leading all scorers with 13 points, while Jayson Tatum has added seven points and three assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo is leading the Bucks with six points, three rebounds and two assists.
The Bucks are usually the Giannis show, but today they've been getting contributions from the entire roster. Seven different players have scored already, and none have more than five points. Getting points from multiple players is a huge boost, especially with Khris Middleton still sidelined due to a knee injury
Aside from a thunderous driving dunk, Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't do much of note in his first eight-minute stint. He checks out with four points, two rebounds and two assists on 2-of-5 from the field. He'll eventually get his numbers, but much like they did in the playoffs last season, the Celtics have succeeded in making things tough for him.
The Celtics are off to an incredible 5-6 start from 3-point land, with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford all getting into the mix. This is the kind of shooting that helped the Celtics get off to a 21-5 start this season, but which has been absent in recent weeks. If they're found their outside shot again, it could be a long day for the Bucks, who have not been a proficient offensive side this season.
Will this be "Round 8" of the battle we saw between Boston and Milwaukee this past summer during the NBA playoffs? It remains to be seen but one thing seems certain, the Bucks would love to get some revenge against the Celtics after Boston defeated Milwaukee 4-3 in the 2022 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics rallied from a 3-2 series deficit, defeating the Bucks 109-81 in Game 7 on their way to the NBA Finals.
While there is still plenty of basketball left to be played before we crown a champion, our friends in the desert have pegged the Celtics and the Bucks as the two favorites to raise the Larry O'Brien Trophy this June. Entering today, according to Caesars Sportsbook, the Celtics' odds to win the title sit at +310 while the Bucks are just behind them with +550 odds to hang another banner.
We'll have a rematch of the memorable 2021 Christmas Day matchup this evening when Milwaukee travels to Boston to square off against the Celtics. Last year, the Bucks overcame a 19-point deficit to defeat Celtics 117-113 behind Giannis Antetokounmpo's 36 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. We'll find out soon enough which side will come out on top today.
