BOSTON — The Celtics didn’t play well on the defensive end of the floor Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, and it cost them in a 110-101 loss at TD Garden.
“I didn’t think we were able to keep up with them defensively pretty much all night after the first six minutes of the game,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said. “Even when we were coming back, I felt they were getting pretty good looks. Obviously, this is one of those games where I walk in here and I’m disappointed in how we defended.”
The Bucks came into Friday’s game averaging just 97.6 points per game (23rd in the NBA), but they shot 52.9 percent from the floor, made nine 3-pointers and scored 62 points in the paint against a Celtics defense that provided little resistance.
“We just weren’t aggressive on the defensive end, and we just weren’t playing hard enough, to be honest,” Celtics guard Avery Bradley said. “I don’t feel like we were on a consistent basis, and they were scoring in transition. They were really getting whatever they wanted, they were posting up our guards and picking us apart.”
The problem area for the Celtics was the third quarter, where they were outscored 36-23 and struggled on the defensive glass with just five rebounds in the entire quarter.
Boston must correct its defensive mistakes quickly because Saturday’s opponent, the Toronto Raptors, rank fourth in the league in scoring at 104.2 points per game and have the type of guards capable of scoring in transition.
— Friday wasn’t a good night for the Celtics in the playoff race. Their loss, combined with wins from the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers, dropped the the C’s into sole possession of ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Boston still is only 1.5 games out of seventh place, but it’s also just a game out of 10th place. Unfortunately for the Celtics, they still have two games against both the Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers left on the schedule.
— Celtics big men Tyler Zeller and Kelly Olynyk dominated the paint against the Pacers on Wednesday night with a combined 38 points. They didn’t fare as well Friday, combining for just 13 points on 5-for-16 shooting. Zeller also missed a few layups in the first half.
— Stevens went deep into his bench, giving 12 different guys playing time. The only Celtic who didn’t play was veteran forward Gerald Wallace.
— Before the game, Celtics guard Avery Bradley was presented with the 10th annual Red Auerbach Award. The award is given to a player who exemplifies what it means to be a true Celtic through performance on and off the court.
“It’s amazing,” Bradley said. “Just his name being part of it. I’m truly blessed, and I’m very thankful for my teammates, the coaches, everybody. It’s an honor for me to win that award, and I’m just very thankful.”
— Both benches played well. Milwaukee received 50 points from its bench, highlighted by O.J. Mayo’s game-high 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting in just 29 minutes.
“He had a great game,” Bucks head coach Jason Kidd said of Mayo. “I understand what O.J. did for us in that first half offensively, keeping us in the game, getting us going actually. Then also being able to make some plays. He made some great passes to his teammates. He wasn’t just scoring the ball, but actually finding guys that were open, and they were knocking down shots.”
The Celtics bench supplied 56 points, led by Isaiah Thomas’ 23, while Jonas Jerebko provided a much-needed spark in the second half and finished with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
— Notable Stats
Fast Break Points: 13-11 Milwaukee
Bench Points: 56-50 Boston
Points in Paint: 62-48 Milwaukee
Turnovers: 18-17 Milwaukee
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
