As the typical saying goes, if you live by the three, you die by the three, and that was the pitfall for the Celtics.
Boston took a 1-0 deficit in their second-round matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks after a 101-89 loss on Sunday. While the Celtics’ defense held two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to just 9-for-25 from the field, it was the offense that lagged behind.
The Celtics set a new franchise low making their fewest 2-point field goals with only 10. Their previous low was on Dec. 9, 2016 in a game against the Toronto Raptors. In that game, they only made 14 2-point field goals, per Celtics.com’s Taylor Snow.
Nearly 60% of the shots taken by the Celtics were 3-point shots. Boston only made 36% (18-for-50) of those jumpers as they attempted to make up the double-digit deficit. The Celtics shot 33% overall (28-for-84) from the field.
The credit should go to the Bucks defense led by Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Bobby Portis, but it’s obvious the Celtics cannot have a repeat of Game 1.
Game 2 of the Celtics-Bucks series will be played on Tuesday at the TD Garden. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
