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Key Moment
You can’t stay undefeated in the NBA if you fold during crunch time. That’s exactly why the Milwaukee Bucks are undefeated no more.
Milwaukee had a plethora of chances during the final minute Thursday night to tie or take a lead. Each and every time, it failed.
First came a turnover from Khris Middleton who, shockingly, failed to take advantage of a mismatch with the undersized Kyrie Irving with Boston leading 113-111. Middleton backed Irving down, but Boston’s point guard swiped the ball away as Middleton was initiating his shot attempt. Middleton was unable to gather control of the ball as he fell to the ground along the baseline and turned the ball back over to the Celtics with 51.0 seconds remaining.
Next came a missed layup by the most imposing player on the court. With Boston still leading 113-111, Giannis Antetokounmpo caught a pass in transition and attempted to drive past Al Horford along the baseline. He did so, but rather than going up strong for a standard layup, he tried to drop in a reverse layup, and he airmailed the ball off the backboard with 18.4 seconds left in the game.
Irving went on to make both free throws to make it a four-point game. With 12.3 seconds left.
On Milwaukee’s ensuing possession, rather than going for a 3-pointer to slice into Boston’s four-point lead, point guard Eric Bledsoe drove to the paint and attempted a layup. That layup missed with 6.0 seconds left, effectively ending the game.
Milwaukee earned each of its first seven wins of the season, but it didn’t have enough Thursday night to earn the right to remain undefeated. Boston, on the other hand, did everything necessary to grab the win, as it made all four of its free throws during the final 14 seconds to hold on for the win.
Key Player
Kyrie Irving is 2-for-2 in his last two games. That is, 2-for-2 in shooting the lights out.
After dropping 31 points Tuesday night against the Pistons, Irving followed up with a 28-point effort Thursday night against the Bucks. He shot 50 percent from the field (10-for-20), 50 percent from 3-point range (6-for-12) and 100 percent from the free-throw line (2-for-2).
In addition to his scoring effort, Irving also dished out seven assists, trailing only Al Horford's eight in the game. This effort marked Irving's eighth straight performance of at least five assists to start the season.
And you know how some people like to pick on Irving for his defense? They should quiet down. Irving compiled two blocked shots and a steal during Thursday’s win, and that doesn’t even count the clutch defensive stop against Middleton (mentioned in our Key Moment section) with less than a minute left in the game.
Box Score Nuggets
- Boston hit a franchise-record 24 3-pointers.
- Eight Celtics hit a 3-pointer during the game.
- The C's limited Milwaukee, which entered the game averaging a league-best 15.6 made 3s per game, to just nine makes from long distance.
- Boston scored 70 total points during the second and third quarters.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo totaled game highs of 33 points and 11 rebounds.
- Kyrie Irving led the C's with 28 points.
- Al Horford dished out a game-high eight assists.
- Milwaukee made twice as many free throws (22) as Boston (11).
- No player on Boston's team grabbed more than seven rebounds.
- Marcus Morris came off the bench to tally 17 points and five rebounds.
- Semi Ojeleye dunked twice in the game, matching his regular season total from a season ago.
- The game featured eight ties and eight lead changes.
- Milwaukee outscored Boston 62-22 in the paint.
Quote of the Night
Brad Stevens on Semi Ojeleye.